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LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


PRESENTED  BY 


JOHN   &  ANNA   GILLESPIE 


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BARCELONA,    MADRID,  TOLEDO 
CORDOVA,    SEVILLE,    GRANADA 


BY 


FREDERICK    H.   A.    SEYMOUR 


WITH    TWENTY-FOUR    ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW    YORK 

E.    P.    DUTTON    AND    COMPANY 

31    WEST    TWENTY-THIRD    STREET 
1906 


{All  rights  reserved.) 


Preface 


FOR  many  reasons,  the  author  of  these  pages 
decided  to  limit  his  tour  in  Spain  to  but  a 
small  portion  of  the  Peninsula.  He  was  desirous 
chiefly  of  visiting  those  Cities  where  the  Moors 
had  founded  their  greatest  seats.  And  therefore 
Andalucia  forms  the  greater  portion  of  the  volume. 
There  is  no  country  in  Europe  where  hasty  travel- 
ling is  more  to  be  deprecated.  What  is  called  a 
"scamper  through  Spain,"  leads  to  no  profitable 
result.  Not  only  is  the  Country  so  vast,  but  the 
distinctions  of  Race,  and  the  divergencies  of 
language  are  so  marked,  that  each  day  of  travel 
convinces  the  least  observant  that  the  term  "Spain" 
is  indeed  a  geographical  expression.  The  Spaniards 
never  talk  of  a  "  Spain."  It  is  with  them  "  Las 
Espanas." 

Even  if  you  call  a  Spaniard,  a  Spanish  "Hidalgo," 
he  is  not  flattered.  He  is  a  Catalonian  :  he  is  a 
Castillan  :  he  is  an  Andalucian  (as  the  case  may 
be).  These  strong  marked  idiosyncrasies, —  this 
provincio-mania  :  this  superb  parochialism  of  theirs, 


6  PREFACE 

greatly  enhances  the  interesting  character  of  the 
country,  from  whatever  point  of  view  it  be 
regarded.  It,  nevertheless,  has  continued  greatly 
to  retard  the  political  development.  For  the 
Spanish  Provinces  with  their  idiosyncrasies  of 
race,  language,  and  customs,  and  with  their  mutual 
jealousies  and  suspicions,  have  rendered  real  union 
impossible. 

Such  things  make  it  difficult  for  the  foreigner  to 
acquire  a  real  knowledge  of  the  country  as  a  whole, 
or  to  make  much  progress  in  an  ever-varying 
language.  From  the  Basque  Provinces  to  Granada, 
you  will  encounter  almost  as  many  tongues  as  were 
prevalent  at  Babel. 

At  Madrid,  e.g.,  you  have  picked  up  a  little 
choice  Castillan,  (the  Spanish  equivalent  of  the 
"lingua  Toscana  in  bocca  Romana,")  and  upon 
stepping  over  to  Seville,  you  find  yourself  not 
"  understanded  "  of  the  people.  A  man  of  Toledo, 
again,  cannot  comprehend  a  Sevillan,  —  and  so 
forth. 

Thus,  many  of  the  anomalies  and  contradictions, 
which  become  so  apparent  as  you  go  on  in  your 
travels,  may  be  explained  by  such  ethnological 
diversities. 

So  many  Races  have  poured  themselves  forth 
upon  the  Peninsula,  from  every  point  of  the  com- 
pass, that  Spain  may  be  regarded  as  a  conglomera- 
tion of  nations.  In  this  regard  she  is  the  exact 
counterpart  of  Sicily.  The  same  Races  in  the 
same  order  have  descended  upon  her. 

For  the  Normans,  substitute  the  Vandals  and  the 


PREFACE  7 

Visigoths,   and  the  parallel  seems  complete.     It  is 
an  astonishing  retrospect ! 

How  many  great  names  belonging  to  these 
nations  have  indelibly  inscribed  themselves  upon 
her  varied  history,  and  how  magnificent  are  the 
heroes  that  have  swayed  her  shifting  fortunes ! 


Contents 


PAGE 

Historical  Sketch  of  the  Moorish  Occupation  of 
Spain    .  .  .  .  .  .  .21 

CHAPTER    I 

Barcelona  .  .  .  .  .  .  -63 

The  Moors— The  Wise  Men  of  the  East— "The  Traveller 
wishes  to  get  upon  their  track  " — A  Spanish  Manchester — The 
Rambla  a  City-centre — Flower-market — Ethnological  peculiari- 
ties of  inhabitants — Paseo  de  Gracia,  Chief  Promenade — Hill  of 
S.  Pedro  Martir — The  Montagna — View  of  Montserrat — The 
Game  of  Spanish  Tennis — Commercial  Prosperity — Merchant- 
Princes — Their  embellishment  of  the  City — Churches  of  the 
10th  Century— The  Cathedral— Church  S.  Maria  del  Mar- 
Mediaeval  Palaces — Casa  Consistorial — Casa  de  la  Disputacion 
— Casa  Lonja — Relics  of  Roman  Power. 

CHAPTER    II 

Madrid        .  .  .  .  .  .  .72 

An  attractive  City — Puerta  del  Sol,  much  the  reverse,  and  a 
"  Pandemonium  " — Avoid  Hotel  de  la  Paix — Pleasing  change  to 
the  Hotel  de  Rome — Royal  Palace — The  Plaza  thereof — Guard- 
mounting — The  Armoury — Historical  memories  and  records — 
The  Accademiade  San  Fernando — "  The  Junta  in  Session  " — The 
three  great  Murillos — Obstacles  and  Hindrances  to  studying 
them — Other  Pictures  here. 

CHAPTER   III 

The  Museo  del  Prado    .  .  .  .  .89 

What  is  to  be  seen  here — Preponderance  of  Velasquez — 
Murillo  and  Ribera — Quantity,  rather  than  quality  as  regards 
Murillo  —  Zurbaran  —  Other    Spanish    Masters  —  Titian's    pre- 

9 


10  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


ponderance,  a  "  revelation  "  —  Raphaels  —  Tintorettos  —  Paul 
Veronese  —  Astonishing  numbers  of  "  Luca-fa-presto,"  and 
Rubens — Antonio  Moro — J.  V.  Eyck — Beauty  of  Rembrandt's 
one  Portrait — Thirty-one  Vandykes — Two  thousand  works 
here — Deficiencies  and  Absence  of  Florentine  and  Lombard 
Artists,  and  of  the  lesser  Venetians,  and  of  the  Bolognese — 
Several  Galleries  more  comprehensive  and  representative  than 
the  Prado — Many  Pictures  from  the  collection  of  Charles  I — 
Our  gratitude  to  Philip  IV — The  love  of  Art  covers  a  multitude 
of  sins — Titian's  Pictures — Notices  and  comments — Murillo, 
Ribera,  or  Lo  Spagnaletto  ;  Rubens — Velasquez — Zurbaran — 
Other  Spanish  "  Lights  "— S.  Coello,  his  Portrait  of  the  Infanta 
Isabel — Anecdote  of  her  and  the  siege  of  Ostend — Other 
S.  Coellos — Pantoja — Religious  Art  of  Spain  previously  to  Velas- 
quez— Antonio  Rincon — Moralez — Juanez — Absence  of  Spanish 
Landscape-painters  —  Moralez  and  Juanez  again  —  Navarate, 
"El  Mudo" — A.  Berrugette — Ribalta,  J.  Roelas,  J.  de  Pareja, 
A.  di  Cafio — Del  Mazo,  often  taken  for  Velasquez — Villaviciencio, 
Murillo  died  in  his  arms — Resemblance  to  his  master — Claudio 
Coello,  last  of  the  great  Painters — Few  of  his  works  here — 
Carreiio  de  Miranda — His  Portrait  of  Charles  II  and  his  mother 
—  F.  Rizi  —  His  "auto-da-fe"  —  Comments  thereon  —  Caxes — 
Goya,  "Ultimus  Romanorum" — Dutch  and  Flemish  works  here — 
The  one  Van  Eyck — "  Luca-fa-presto  "  again — Antonio  Moro  at 
his  best  in  Madrid — Anecdote  of  him  and  Philip  II — Raphael's 
Pictures  here,  "  The  one  great  disappointment  " — Notices — His 
"  Cardinal  Bibiena,"  the  best — Velasquez  purchased  Tintorettos 
— Notes  on  them — Vandyke's  super-eminent  specimens — Paul 
Veronese — "  Pieta,"  D.  Crespi — Mantegna  —  Correggio — G.  B. 
Tiepolo  and  his  son — Paucity  of  Landscapes  by  foreign  Artists 
also — Injuries  to,  destruction,  and  neglect  of  works  of  Art  in 
Madrid. 

CHAPTER    IV 

The  Escurial        ......  146 

Erection  by  Philip  II  —  Dedication  to  St.  Laurence  — 
Position  and  appearance — Architectural  Features — Immense 
dimensions — The  Church  of  the  Escurial  —  Object  of  the 
Architect— Death  of  Philip  in  the  Building — The  Pudridero — 
Opening  of  the  Coffin  of  Charles  V — Morbid  craving  of  the 
Spanish  Monarchs — An  indoor-Campo  Santo — Tomb  of  Don 
John — "  La  Santa  Forma  " — Picture  in  the  Sacristy —  Palace 
Garden — English  Elms — No  Spanish  Monarch  born  in  the 
Palace,  Ferdinand  VII  excepted — Philip  V  hated  all  things 
Spanish — Buried  at  La  Granja  ("  the  Grange  ") — Had  abdicated 
there — Hasty  Resumption  of  Power — Frescoes,  Tapestries,  no 
great  things— Transference  of  Pictures  to  Madrid. 

CHAPTER    V 

Toledo        .......  155 

Supposed  resemblance  to  Rome  —  Alcazar,  the  dominant 
feature — Neglected  opportunities — River  Tagus — The  Alcantara 


CONTENTS  11 


PAGE 


Bridge — An  ethnological  Mosaic — Paucity  of  Moorish  remains 
— Jewish,  rather  than  Moorish — Treatment  of  the  Jews — Two 
Synagogues  —  Churches  —  S.  Maria  la  Bianca  —  El  Transito 
— El  Tome — El  Greco's  famous  Picture — Alcazar,  History  of 
— The  Prison  of  two  Queens — A  second  Don  John — Hospital  de 
la  Santa  Cruz— Marble  Relief  of  S.  Helena. 


CHAPTER   VI 

Toledo  Cathedral  .....  162 

Commenced  by  S.  Ferdinand — He  destroyed  the  Mosque — A 
breach  of  promise — Former  Gothic  Cathedral  on  the  site — The 
Virgin's  favourite  resort — Present  Cathedral  finished  in  16th 
Century — Dimensions — A  Museum  of  Art — Painted  Glass  of 
15th  Century — Western  Facade — Puerta  del  Perdon,  the  finest 
entrance — The  Coro  —  Magnificent  Retablo  —  Height  of  the 
Cathedral — Mental  Perception  of  great  Fabrics — A  gradual 
absorption — Beauty  of  the  Carved  Stalls — El  Rodrigo  and  Vigarny 
— Wondrous  Metal-pulpits — Tomb  of  Alvaro  de  Luna — "  Spite  " 
of  Henry  of  Aragon — Capilla  Mayor — Fine  Retablo — Tombs  of 
"los  Reyes  Viejos  " — Queen  Catherine,  Daughter  of  John  of 
Gaunt — Philip  IPs  descent  from  her — Purport  of  his  "Armada" 
— Legend  of  S.  Ildelfonso,  Primate — The  sacred  "Casulla" — 
Madonna's  Black  Image — Vigarny's  Reliefs  of  the  Legend — 
Vicissitudes  of  the  Image — Ildefonso's  Body — Virgin's  Regalia — 
Deported  to  Paris — Vestments,  Gold  and  Silver  Plate — Capilla, 
S.  Eugenio  and  de  Invierno — Traces  of  Moorish  Art. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Toledo        .......  169 

Sala  Capitular — Series  of  Portraits  of  Primates — Unique  position 
of  the  Primates — Wealth  of  the  See — Cardinal  Wolsey's  Pension — 
Archbishop  Carillo — His  immense  power — Fame  of  Archbishop 
Ximenes — His  encouragement  of  learning — His  Greek  Testament 
published — A  merciless  Persecutor — Grand  Inquisitor  —  The 
"Black  Friar"  of  Philip  and  Mary — Ancient  Frescoes  in  Capilla 
de  San  Bias — Archbishop  Tenorio  here  interred — Beautiful 
Cloisters — Tenorio's  "  Pious  Fraud,"  to  oust  the  Jews — Bridges 
Alcantara  ;  S.  Martino — Tenorio,  an  "  all-round  man  " — Pagoda- 
like Tower  of  Cathedral— Archbishop's  Palace  and  Town  Hall 
"  much  criticised  "—Cathedral ;  exterior  less  impressive  than 
interior — No  circuit  possible — Toledo  Cathedral  the  Spanish 
Lateran — The  Pope  and  the  Spanish  Sovereign  always  Canons 
— Fined  if  failing  to  attend  Christmas  Chapter — Church  of  S. 
Juan  de  Los  Reyes — Fine  views  thence — The  Church,  built  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella — Rack  and  Ruin  —  Pronunciation  of 
"  Juan  " — Chapel  better  preserved — Modern  Sword-factory — 
Toledo  blades  still  sought  after — Toledo-streets — Massive  Doors 
— Street  architecture  not  specially  Moorish — Weirdly  picturesque 
effect  of  Toledo. 


12  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   VIII 

PAGE 

Cordova  .......  177 

Yellow  aspect  of  Country — "La  Mancha,"  or  "Dry  Land" — 
Sparse  population — Sites  historical — Aranjuez  and  Palace — Capo 
di  Monte  ware — Villapenas-wine — Le  Navas  deTolosa — Moorish 
defeat  near — A  mining  centre — Linares,  and  a  Roman  Victory 
— The  Guadalquivir — "  Lifts  you  "  to  Cordova — Corduba,  "  Gem 
of  the  South" — A  Roman  Colony — Magnificence  as  Moorish 
Capital — Birthplace  of  great  Romans — Excavations  of  City 
urged — Indifference  of  Spaniards  —  Possible  reasons  —  Anti- 
quarian treasures  awaiting  research — Charles  V  upon  the 
desecration  of  Mosque  —  Details  of  the  splendours  of  the 
Caliphate — Great  extent  of  the  City — A  Dream  of  Cordova — 
Tennyson's  "  Haroun-al-Raschid  " — Roman  Mosaic  unearthed. 

CHAPTER   IX 

Cordova — The  Mosque    .....  186 

Cordova  Cathedral  or  Mosque — Marble  Columns — General  Im- 
pressions— An  architectural  Garden — Roman  occupation  of  the 
site — Utilisation  of  ancient  materials — Unique  character  of  this 
Mosque — The  Maksurah— "  Caliph's  Seat  " — Cupola  of  Capilla 
de  San  Pedro — Mihrab  or  "  Sanctuary  " — Exterior  Walls — 
Puerta  del  Perdon — Campanile — Court  of  Oranges — Roman 
Miliary  Columns — Reflections  in  Court  of  Oranges — A  Saracen 
Renaissance — The  Mosque  a  "  Pharos  of  Art  " — Unique  among 
all  Mosques — Cordoya's  venerable  appearance — Antiquity  of 
Bridge — Moorish  Mills  in  River — Fortress-like  character  of  the 
Mosque — Modern  aspects  of  City  contrasted  with  ancient. 


CHAPTER  X 

Seville        .......  195 

Anticipations  of  Seville — Still  dc  jure  Capital — Reminiscences 
and  associations — Don  Juan's  house — Donas  Annas  and  Elviras 
— Figaro  —  Mozart's  and  Rossini's  operas  —  Byron's  "  Childe 
Harold"  —  Borrow  —  "Masher"  or  "  Majar  "  —  Commercial 
position  of  Seville — Spanish  neglect  of  Navigable  Rivers — 
Approach  to  Seville  from  Cordova,  "  yellow  and  arid  " — First 
sight  of  Seville  disappointing — Dissimilarity  to  Naples — Modern 
appearance  generally — Great  extent  of  Cathedral — Dominates 
City — Exterior  less  impressive  than  Interior — Height  and 
width  of  Nave — Painted  Glass — Trophies  of  Art — Former 
Mosque  much  later  than  that  of  Cordova — Hunting-up  traces 
of  Moorish  Art — The  Giralda  Tower,  the  "  Muezzin,"  what 
Giotto's  Campanile  is  to  the  Duomo  of  Florence — History 
of  the  Giralda — Threat  of  the  Moors — Counter-threat  of  St. 
Ferdinand,  or  his  son — Saints  Justa  and  Rufina  withstand  the 
buffeting  of  Satan's  winds — Heat  of  Seville  in  June — Unwilling 
ascent  of  the   Giralda — Interview  with   Custode — Inadequacy 


CONTENTS  13 


PAGE 


of  Castillan  language  here— Sudden  linguistic  legerdemain 
— "  Giralda  might  have  proved  to  be  a  Tower  of  Babel  "— 
Views  from  the  summit — Guadalquivir,  Italica,  S.  Lucar — 
Towers  and  Turrets — The  Alcazar — Relics  of  old  Walls — Lonja 
—Archbishop's  Palace  — Bull-ring  — The  Seville  Trastevere— 
Rellections  upon  the  Siege  of  fourteen  months — View  of  the 
Court  of  Oranges— Well— The  Moorish  Puerta  del  Perdon— 
Ancient  bronze  doors  thereof. 


CHAPTER   XI 

Seville  Cathedral  .....  206 

The  Cathedral-aisles  a  thoroughfare,  or  "  short-cut,"  for  pedes- 
trians— Thirty-one  Chapels  to  be  seen — Number  of  Janitors — 
Huge  "  Rejas  "—Chief  Monuments— Retablo  of  High  Altar — 
Image  of  the  Virgin — Gift  of  St.  Louis — Splendid  Church  Plate 
— Murillo's  Pictures— Theft  of  "  St.  Anthony  "— Murillo's  "  Guar- 
dian Angel  " — Goya's  Saints  Rufina  and  Justa — Ford's  Anecdote 
—Puerta  de  S.  Cristobal— De  Vergas's  "Gamba"  Picture- 
Legend  of  S.  Cristobal — Moorish  Walls — Roman  Relics — 
Seville  and  Milan  Cathedrals  compared. 


CHAPTER   XII 

Festival  of  Corpus  Christi       .  .  .  .214 

Elaborate  Ceremonial— Bustle  in  the  Cathedral— Wonders  of 
Silver  Plate — Troops  of  Processional  Boys — Their  "  dressing-up  " 
— Half  the  population  of  Seville  "  assisting  " — Decorations — Miles 
of  Red  Damask — The  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion — Rank  and  fashion 
— The  oi  polloi — Manners  and  appearance  of  a  Spanish  Crowd — 
Absence  of  Mantillas — Ladies  dressed  in  the  extremest  "  modes  " 
— Beauty  (or  otherwise  ?) — Andalucian  "  eyes  " — Complexions — 
Lavish  Powdering — Passion  for  whitewash — The  Procession 
debouches — A  stream  of  Functionaries — Splendour  and  colour — 
Incense  and  Chanting — Imbecile  Images  and  Busts — Enormous 
Silver  Monstrance — Bearers  thereof — Church  Dignitaries — The 
Sacred  Host — Reception  by  the  Crowd — Music  insufficient — 
Courtiers  a  la  Philip  IV — Procession  defective — Inferior  to  that 
of  Orvieto — The  Sight  of  this  Day — Dance  of  Choristers  in  the 
Cathedral — Seville,  a  Phoenician  Settlement— Sephela,  Ishbiliah, 
Seville — "  Muy  leal  y  noble  " — Zenith  under  Pedro  "  the  Cruel  " 
— Abandonment  by  Charles  V — Present  Aspect — Houses  main- 
tain a  Moorish  character — Arrangement,  Pompeiian — Luxurious- 
ness  of  Seville  cafes — Plazas — Plaza  Nueva — Absence  of  Gar- 
dens in  the  City — Promenades — The  "  Delicias  " — River-banks 
and  Quays — Southern  Flowers  and  Shrubs — Columbus,  Pizarro, 
and  Cortez — The  Torre-del'-Oro — Don  Juan's  Residence. 


14  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   XIII 

PAGE 

The  Museo,  Seville         .....  224 

Plaza  de  Murillo  —  His  Bust  —  Numerous  Works  of  his 
here — Four  or  Five  Masterpieces — A  disestablished  Convent — 
Fine  Azulejos,  modern  —  Murillo's  Masterpieces  described — 
Zurbaran's  Pictures — Roelas— Valdez  Leal — Pacheco — "  Pretty 
rather  than  great"  —  But  one  Cano —  Alanis  Vicente — His 
powerful  "  Prodigal  Son  " — Portraits  here  "  terribly  bad  "— 
Torrigiano's  Terra-cotta  —  Anecdotes  of  Torrigiano — The  Patio 
here — Roman  Antiquities  from  Italica — A  great  "Diana" — 
Moorish  Vases — The  first  Museo  in  the  "  Lonja,"  founded  by 
Murillo  and  other  Artists— "  La  Caridad"— A  16th  Century 
Alms-house — Renovated  by  "  a  reformed  Rake  " — The  Chapel — 
Murillo's  six  Pictures — Description  of  them — "San  Juan  de  Dios," 
the  finest — Who  he  was — Pedro  Roldan's  "  Descent  from  the 
Cross" — The  Pictures  by  Valdez  Leal — Murillo's  remark — 
V.  Leal's  jealousy  of  Murillo — Murillo's  Pictures  journeyed  to 
Paris. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Seville — The  Alcazar     .....  232 

A  Saracen  Palace  —  Fanciful  derivation  from  "  Caesar " — 
Moorish  Architecture  equally  adapted  for  religious  and 
domestic  purposes — Suggested  by  a  hot  climate— Loveliness  of 
apartments— Rival  those  of  the  Alhambra— Skill  of  modern 
Spaniards  in  renovation — The  "  Alcazar  "  replete  with  associ- 
ations— Pedro  "  the  Cruel "  —  Maria  Padilla— Two  of  their 
daughters  wives  of  English  Princes — John  of  Gaunt  claimed 
the  Spanish  Throne — His  daughter  First  Princess  of  Asturias — 
Spanish  blood  in  English  veins — The  assistance  of  Pedro  by  the 
"  Black  Prince  " — Story  of  Pedro,  and  the  Great  Ruby — Court  of 
the  Ambassadors — Pedro's  victims — Pedro's  subsequent  fate — 
The  Gate  of  "Las  Banderas  " — Pedro's  "Justice"  —  Maria 
Padilla's  Apartments — Comtesse  de  Paris  born  here — Chapel — 
Charles  V  married  there — Antiquities  from  Italica — Rooms  of 
Isabella  "the  Catholic  "—Gardens  of  the  Palace— An  Ideal 
realised — Groves  and  Labyrinths — A  Realm  of  Pleasaunce — 
Baths  of  Maria  Padilla— A  Prison  ? — Palace  of  S.  Telmo  not 
far  from  River — Built  by  Ferdinand  Columbus,  son  of  Chris- 
topher— Dedicated  to  the  Mariner's  Saint — Formerly  Due 
de  Montpensier's  Palace,  and  Picture  Gallery — Extensive 
Gardens — Adjoin  the  Public  one — Tobacco  Factory,  colossal — 
A  Tobacco  Escurial — Has  been  a  Convent,  or  Convents — 
Cuba  no  longer  available  as  a  Government-source — Thousands 
of  women  employed — "  Natural "  sticking  of  cigars  not  per- 
mitted— Babies  and  female  relatives,  but  no  "  followers  " — An 
absence  of  "  Carmens  "  —  "  Mancia  "  for  guides  not  cheerfully 
accepted — Recollections  of  Naples  more  forcible — Seville  com- 
paratively free  from  mendicants — Casa  de  Pilatos — Another 
Saracen  Palace — Erected  by  Enriquez  de  Ribera — A  "mysti- 
cal "  original  in  Jerusalem — Azulejos  ;  Columns ;  Moulded 
Vaults — Patio  with  Fountains — Statues  from  Italica — A  Mosaic 


CONTENTS  15 


PAGE 

of  the  "  Crowing-cock  "—A  coup-de-gracc  to  the  tradition — 
The  Grand  Staircase,  a  development  of  Moorish  architec- 
ture here — No  access  to  the  fine  Gardens— Italica — A  short 
drive  there,  through  Triana,  a  "  doubtful  "  suburb — River  has 
changed  its  ancient  course — Italica  the  birthplace  of  two 
Emperors — Amphitheatre  thoroughly  excavated — Absence  of 
other  ruins — Has  been  made  a  "  quarry  "—A  Coin  of  Adrian — 
Return  by  another  route — Castileja  de  la  Cuesta — Birthplace  and 
Residence  of  Cortez — Buried  here — Ashes  removed  to  Mexico — 
Other  Excursions  round  Seville — Hurrying  Tourists. 

CHAPTER   XV 

The  Alhambra      ......  246 

From  Cordova  to  Granada  by  rail— Road  through  featureless, 
yellow  tracts— Montilla  an  "  Oasis  "—First  verdant  spot— La 
Roda,    Seville   Junction — Thence  to   Granada,   smiling   scenes 

—  Beautiful  Hill-scenery  —  Look  out  for  "Loja"  —  Neigh- 
bourhood,  rife   with   Moorish    associations — Broiling   journey 

—  Arrival  at  Granada  —  Another  Clime,  another  Country 
— Entrance  to  precincts  of  Alhambra — Gate  of  Charles  V — A 
beautiful  Forest— Fountains  and  Running  Waters— Nightingales 

—  Hotels,  "Washington  Irving,"  "  Siete  Suelos  "  —  "  Siete 
Suelos,"  not  of  the  Hotel— Blocked-up  Tower— Boabdil-el-Chico 
—Alhambra,  an  ideal  Fortress— The  Romans  were  here,  too— 
Similarity  to  Italian  Hill-cities,  or  Indian  Fortresses— Entrance 
to  Palace  through  a  small  door— Puerta  della  Giustizia— "  Sub- 
lime Porte  "—Description  of— The  Mystic  Hand— The  Key- 
Imposing  scene  of  yore— Keynote  as  Fortress— Torre  de  la 
Vega— Ramparts  and  Towers— Torre  del  Vino— Plaza  de  los 
Algibes — Moorish  Cisterns — Renaissance  Palace  of  Charles  V 
—Entrance  into  the  Alhambra  Palace— Patio  de  la  Alberca— 
Tower  of  Comares — Arabian  Art-atmosphere — Perfection  of 
Moorish  Art— A  preternatural  race  of  Bees— Ornamentation, 
"Inscriptions"  Sermons  in  stucco  —  Freshness  of  — Artistic 
renovation— Alhambra,  no  Pompeii  or  Palatine— The  Moors, 
"  out  for  the  day  "—Perpetual  youth— Contemporary  Art-critics 
—Fountain  in  "  Court  of  Lions  "— "  Pyramus  and  Thisbe,"  re- 
called—"Las  Dos  Hermanas,"  "The  Two  Sisters  "—Ford's 
remarks — Sultan's  favourite  rooms  destroyed — Upper  Story — 
Patio  Lindaraja— Sala  de  los  Abencerrages,  and  Court— The 
Mezquita— King  Yusuf,  stabbed— The  oldest  portion  of  the 
Alhambra— Transformed  and  rebuilt,  temp.  Charles  V— Charles's 
Architect,  Machuca— Garden,  so-named— A  fascinating  Chamber 
— Mirador,  della  Reina— Loveliness  of  Views  thence— El  Bano 
del  Rey— Chamber  "del  Riposo  "—Gallery— Silence  and  langour 
— Spirit  of  the  Alhambra. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

The  Alhambra       ..... 

Ecstatic  writing  unavoidable— Moors,  flawlessly  perfect— Risk  of 
forgetting  more  modern  figures— Charles  V's  Honevmoon  here 
—Remark  on  Boabdil  by  him— His  Renaissance  Palace  never 


259 


16  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


roofed — His  Gallery  in  the  Tocador — Devote  a  day  to  marking 
well  Alhambra  bulwarks — Towers  of  the  "Cautiva  Isabella,"  and 
"  Dos  Infantas  " — The  Alhambra,  as  Fortress — Dimensions — 
Torres  Bernue  first  fortified — "  Al  Hamra,"  or  "  Enclosure  of 
the  Red,"  the  Palace  Proper— Torre  de  la  Vela,  or  "Watch- 
tower  " — Vega  from  thence — Sota  de  Roma — Iron-Duke's  Pro- 
perty— Santa  Fe — Mendoza's  Silver  Cross — Other  Towers — 
Another  Mezquita,  a  jewel,  sympathetic  Custodes — Convent  of 
St.  Francis — Ferdinand  and  Isabella's  Coffins — Irving's  "Tales 
of  the  Alhambra  " — "  Dazzling  white  "  or  "  colour  "  ? — Torre  del 
Agua — Hill  of  the  Generalife — Torre  "  Siete  Suelos,"  again— El 
Chico's  Monument ! — His  last  request  to  Ferdinand — His  "  Via 
Dolorosa  " — La  Cuesta  de  las  Lagrimas — "  El  Ultimo  Suspiro 
del  Moro  " — The  Woman's  Last  Word— Belshazzar's  Doom — 
Kismet  and  Vasoul — The  Tower,  blown  up  by  the  French  ! — 
Can  be  partially  explored — Torre  Gran  Capitano — An  unforget- 
table Walk — The  Generalife  Palace — A  Purchase,  not  a  confis- 
cation— An  annexe  to  Alhambra — An  enchanting  Residence — 
Present  Proprietor  an  Absentee — Destruction  of  trees — Canals 
and  Fountains — The  River  Darro — Courts  and  Colonnades — A 
Portrait  Gallery,  Apocryphal — Terraces  and  Hanging  Gardens — 
"  La  Silla  del  Moro." 


CHAPTER   XVII 

Granada     .......  271 

City  of  Granada  an  appanage  of  the  Alhambra — Immense  popu- 
lation once — The  Albaycin  Suburb — Still  Moorish — Bridges  and 
Arches — The  Elvira  Arch-tradition — Boabdil's  "shivered  Spear" 
— El  Zogoybi  taken  Prisoner — Recovers  his  liberty — Albaycin 
derived  from  Bayisin— A  second  fortress — Old  Granada — S. 
Nicola,  the  Summit — Consummate  views — Abode  of  Zitanas — 
Their  pursuits  —  Dancing-maidens  —  The  merits  of  Granada 
Cathedral  overrated  by  Ferguson — Too  modern  aspect — Greco- 
Roman  style — Fine  Tombs — Ferdinand  and  Isabella — Huge 
Rejas — Gothic  Chapel,  refreshing  after  cold  Renaissance — 
Vigarny's  Statues  of  the  Monarchs — Peralta's  Tomb  of  Juana 
and  her  husband — Torrigiano's  blighted  hopes — Ferdinand's 
remarriage — Contrast  with  Juana's  long  widowhood — Capilla  de 
los  Reyes — A  Subject  worthy  of  a  Gibbon  or  a  Macaulay — 
Mementoes  of  the  Sovereigns — Portions  of  the  old  Mosque — 
Valiant  Act  of  Herman  del  Pulgar — His  reward — Ferdinand's 
Place  of  Burial — The  effigies  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella — Those 
of  Juana  and  Philip — Isabella's  last  directions — Isabella  too 
bigoted  to  be  "Great" — Juana's  Pilgrimage  to  Granada — The 
opened  Coffin — Same  morbid  craving  inherent  in  her  de- 
scendants— Henry  VII  sought  her  hand  —  Vigarny's  Bassi- 
relievi  in  the  Capilla  de  los  Reyes  —  Kneeling  Effigies  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella — Alonzo  Cano's  Pictures  and  Sculptures 
— Bad  Light— Velasquez's  Portrait  of  Cafio  at  Madrid — Philip  IV 
made  him  a  Canon — Remonstrance  and  Reply — Cafios'  finest 
Picture  stolen  and  recovered — Torrigiano's  "Charity" — West 
Door,  a  Moorish  Cloister — Casa  del  Carbon — Washington 
Irving's  Inn — Grim  Abodes — "  Civil "  Carboneros — The  Chan- 


CONTENTS  17 


PAGE 


* 


celleria,  Plateresque  —  Barracks  —  An  old  Palace  —  Grenada 
Streets  generally  dull — Shops  bad — Good  Antiquities — Beauty 
of  an  Antiquary's  Courtyard — "Zok  Market,"  our  "Soke,"  at 
Winchester,  e.g.  —  The  Alameda,  "  Public  Garden  "  —  River 
Xenil  —  Promenade  —  Carriage-folk  —  White  Mantillas  — "  Did 
Zara  drop  her  ear-rings  here  "  ? — Dappled  Waters — Gold  in  the 
Darro  River  ? — Sources  of  the  Xenil— The  one  Glacier  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada— Granada,  "  Pomegranate  "  (?) — Phoenician  Kar- 
nattah — Excursions  from  Granada — The  Cartuja — Hovering 
Mendicants — The  Cartuja  Convent  —  A  monument  of  "bad 
taste  " — Rich  decoration  in  the  Chapel— Fine  Spanish  Marbles 
— General  neglect  of  Spanish  Marble — Alonzo  Carlo's  Madonna 
— Cloisters  and  Frescoes  —  Carthusians  martyred  by  Henry 
VIII?  —  An  irate  Custode  —  Author  suspected  of  being  an 
accomplice  of  Henry  VIII — The  Mad-house  or  Hospital  de 
Locos — Plateresque  style  —  Ferdinand,  Isabella,  and  Juana — 
Plaza  del  Triunfo,  once  the  execution-ground — Then  a  Bull- 
ring— Hospital  S.  Geronimo — S.  Juan  de  Dios — A  Lunatic  (?) 
confined  in  Cage — Convent  of  S.  Geronimo — Its  chequered 
history — "  El  Gran  Capitano  "  here  interred — A  Corpus  Christi 
Procession  again — Preponderance  of  Children — Shadows  and 
Shades — Glamour  of  the  Old  Race — Unseasonable  Reflections 
— "  Hasta  la  Vista,"  to  Alhambra,  and  to  Rey  Chico. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

RONDA        .  ....   289 

Byron's  lines  on  Cintra  applied  to  the  Vega — "  The  Kashmir  "  of 
Spain — Verdancy  of  the  Vega,  thanks  to  the  Moors  ! — Fertility 
and  fighting — Archidona's  chalk-soil — Mountain  scenes — Cork 
Woods — Arrival  at  Ronda — An  English  Country-town — Hotel 
at  Station,  possible,  and  convenient — Modern  City  a  dead-level 
of  whitewash — Old  City  unique  — "  Make  for  the  ancient 
Bridge" — The  "Taja"  chasm — Strongest  natural  fortress  of 
Spain — Aldaguela's  Bridge — A  monument  of  his  hapless  fate — 
Similar  destinies  of  Murillo  and  Corenzio — Another  Bridge  above 
— The  Casa  Mandragon  and  Garden — An  architectural  gem — 
Coats  of  arms  whitewashed — Why  ? — Market-place  ;  Norman 
Arcades — Tower  of  Ronda  Cathedral — Wood-carvings — Youth- 
ful Cicerones — Half  of  the  Building  the  old  Mosque  ? — Very 
Modern  aspect — Alcazar  in  the  Plaza — Present  occupation — 
Moorish  Towers — Calle  de  San  Pedro — Casa  del  Rey  Moro — A 
Polyphemus — Ford's  story — Victims'  skulls  for  drinking-cups — 
Rock-hewn  Stairs,  to  River — "  Mina  del  Ronda" — Moorish 
remains  sparse — Prevalence  of  Moorish  blood — Alameda — 
The  Paseo  for  populace  of  25,000  inhabitants — Longevity,  a  Pro- 
verb in  Ronda — "Chickens"  at  eighty! — Grand  old  Men — An 
inducement  to  live  here — Old  Testament  types — Drives  and  rides 
innumerable — Roman  Aqueduct,  a  "  snare  " — Malaga  Road — An 
abandoned  Posada — Good  Wine — Electric  Light  at  Ronda — 
River-power  utilised  here — Flour  Mills,  old  and  new — Less  ap- 
parent Poverty  in  Spain  than  in  Italy — Beggars  more  restricted 
— Better  treatment  of  animals — Cleaner  personal  habits. 

2 


18  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   XIX 

PAGE 

Algeciras  and  the  Rock  ....  299 

Approach  the  "Rock"  by  Algeciraz — Hopes  to  have  entered 
by  a  tunnel — Algeciraz  bristles  with  romance — Moorish  "  Green 
Island  " — Alfonso  XV — Donizetti's  "  Favorita  " — Medina-Sidonia 
— Phoenician  "  Sidon  " — Guzman  Buenos — Algeciraz,  Moorish 
Key  to  Spain — King  of  Spain,  emphatically  King  of  Algeciraz — 
Ruins  of  Roman  Carteria  ("  El  Rocadille  ") — "  Queen  Isabella's 
Chair  " — Fears  that  "  Seat  "  may  unseat  us — Custom-house  at 
Gibraltar — Gentle  treatment — How  unlike  Victoria  and  Charing 
Cross  ! — Rooke's  Rock — War  of  Spanish  Succession — Gibraltar, 
loved  of  British  Subalterns  —  Spirit  of  "Rule,  Britannia" — 
Eastern  appearance — Costumes — Moors  and  "Handy-men" — 
Tailless  monkeys — Descendants  of  Solomon's  apes  (?) — Anda- 
lucia — Tarshish  ? — Solomon  and  Queen  of  Sheba— Absence  of 
"  native  "  gold — Gibraltar  fears  the  "  Levanter  " — Once  famous 
for  unhealthiness — Plague  or  Drains  ? — Water-supply — Monkeys 
"  clear  out  "  when  the  Levanter  blows — Hot  discussion  about 
the  Moles  —  Experts  —  Possible  Spanish  Batteries  —  Leonine 
Form  of  the  Rock — Kinglake's  "  Eothen  " — A  Lion  Couchant — 
"  Watching  jealous  Navies  from  his  lair  " — Britannia  rules  the 
Waves ! 


Reference-Sketch  of  Early  History  of  Spain         .  307 

Explanation  of  and  Dates  of  Certain  Terms  used 
in  Spanish  Architecture     ....  308 


List  of  Illustrations 


Cordova  ...... 

The  Mosque,  Cordova      .... 

The  Armoury,  Madrid  .  .  .  . 

Charles  V.     {Titian)  .... 

The  Infant  Saviour  and  St.  John.    (Murillo) 

The  Holy  Family — "El  Pajarito."    (Murillo) 

The  Virgin  and  St.  Ildefonso.    (Murillo) 

Philip  IV.  on  Horseback.    (Velasquez) 

Queen     Isabella  —  An     Equestrian     Portrait 
(Velasquez)  ..... 

The  Conde  Duque  of  Olivarez.    (Velasquez) 

St.  Anthony's  Visit  to  St.  Paul.    (Velasquez) . 

The  Triumph  of  the  Church.    (Hubert  Van  Eyck) 

Cardinal  da  Bibiena.    (Raphael) 

19 


Frontispiece 


Fact 


ngp.  55 
75 
93 

IOI 
102 
IO3 
112 

113 
II4 
117 

134 
I4I 


20  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Countess  of  Oxford.    (Vandyke)  .         Facing  p.  142 

Toledo   .......         n  155 

The  Mosque,  Cordova      ....              „  189 

Seville  ........  197 

Seville — The  Giralda      ....              „  201 

Seville  Cathedral     ......  206 

Seville — Pilate's  House  ....               „  243 

Granada — The  Alhambra      ....,,  248 

Granada,  from  the  Alhambra    ...              „  262 

Granada            .......  272 

Granada,  from  San  Geronimo    ...              „  286 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH    OF   THE 
MOORISH    OCCUPATION    OF    SPAIN 

THE  Phoenicians, — those  Yankees  of  the  antique 
world, — with  their  skill  in  navigation  and  their 
bustling  energy  in  the  development  of  trade  and 
commerce,  were  the  first  to  acquaint  themselves 
with  the  inexhaustible  resources  of  the  mineral 
wealth  of  the  Peninsula,  to  which  the  indigenous 
population  of  the  country  have  maintained  a 
lethargic  indifference. 

To  the  Phoenicians  succeed  the  bellicose  Cartha- 
ginians, with  even  greater  energy,  and  in  a  wider 
field.  For  Hannibal,  the  most  splendid  military 
genius  that  has  ever  appeared  in  History,  made 
Spain  the  basis  of  operations  for  his  astonishing 
campaigns  in  Italy. 

The  echoes  of  those  tremendous  conflicts, — the 
Punic  Wars, — seem  scarcely  yet  to  have  died  out. 

It  was  but  natural  that  the  ubiquitous  Romans, 
who  were  on  the  road  to  universal  Empire,  would 
seize  the  slightest  pretext  for  adding  so  splendid  a 
region  of  the  earth  to  their  dominion.  The  quarrel 
between  themselves  and  Hannibal,  over  the  small 

21 


22  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

City  of  Saguntum  (Murviedro),  which  led  to  the 
second  Punic  War,  gave  them  their  opportunity. 
Doubtless,  had  that  casus  belli  failed  them,  they 
could  have  found  another  equally  serviceable  for 
their  pretensions. 

So  it  came  about,  that  Spain,  in  her  turn,  had  to 
pass  beneath  the  Roman  yoke,  and  that  later  on  in 
Roman  History  the  two  greatest  of  the  Scipios,  and 
finally  the  greatest  of  all  Romans,  Julius  Csesar, 
have  gathered  some  of  their  most  imperishable 
laurels  in  that  harassed  land. 

When,  in  its  turn,  the  Roman  Empire  was 
tumbling  to  pieces,  it  was  the  Vandals,  and  then 
the  Visigoths,  in  Spain,  who  were  to  complete 
the  ruin  of  that  once  world-wide  Empire. 

The  year  409  is  given  as  the  date  of  the  arrival 
of  the  Vandals  in  Spain. 

This  Confederacy  of  Teutonic  Races  from  the 
North  Coast  of  Germany,  seems  to  have  been 
possessed  of  even  greater  restlessness  than  most 
of  the  tribes  of  similar  origin.  For  we  have 
scarcely  met  with  them  in  the  sunny  regions 
of  Spain,  which  to  them  should  have  appeared 
as  a  veritable  Land  of  Promise,  after  their 
sojourn  in  the  sterile  tracts  of  Dacia  and  Pan- 
nonia ;  then  they  are  found,  twenty  years  after 
their  arrival  in  Spain,  passing  over  to  Africa. 
Probably,  only  a  portion  of  them,  whatever  too 
brusque  chroniclers  may  have  said.  For  the 
Vandals  certainly  founded  a  powerful  kingdom, 
that  of  Vandalusia,  one  which  still  bears  their 
name. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  23 

Kingdoms  are  not  formed  so  rapidly,  nor  are 
migrations  of  whole  peoples  quite  so  cursory. 

It  may  be  assumed,  therefore,  upon  very  palpable 
grounds,  that  when  the  Visigoths  came  down  upon 
Spain  from  Italy,  where  they  had  a  hundred  years 
previously  signalised  themselves  under  Alaric  by 
the  plunder  of  Rome,  they  may  have  been  not  at 
all  hostilely  actuated  towards  their  kith  and  kin 
who  had  preceded  them  in  the  occupation  of  the 
country.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  kingdom  of  the 
Visigoths  endured  for  over  two  centuries. 

Perhaps  a  brief  period  in  the  life  of  a  nation,  but 
a  memorable  one  in  the  history  of  Christianity. 

For,  in  Spain  was  fought  out  to  its  end  the  long 
and  bitter  struggle  between  Arianism  and  the 
orthodox  Faith.  Ever  since  the  days  of  Constantine, 
Europe  had  been  divided  into  hostile  camps, 
arrayed  against  each  other  upon  this  absorbing 
question.  It  need  but  briefly  be  mentioned  in  this 
place,  that  it  was  in  Spain  that  the  Arian  Heresy 
was  now  totally  and  finally  subdued.  From  that 
hour  to  the  present,  Spain  has  maintained  her  proud 
position  of  unswerving  devotion  to  the  Faith  as 
promulgated  by  the  See  of  Saint  Peter. 

In  the  course  of  subsequent  centuries,  we  know 
but  too  well  how  mercilessly  the  Spanish  monarchs 
have  suppressed  any  swerving  from  the  orthodox 
Faith.  But  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  the 
cruelties  inflicted  by  them  have  been  obnoxious  to 
the  Spanish  people.  If  the  rulers  have  been  re- 
morseless bigots,  their  subjects  have  met  them  quite 
half  way. 


24  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

In  the  sufficiently  long  list  of  the  Gothic  Kings, 
there  are  but  two  names  that  need  here  be 
mentioned. 

They  are  those  of  Wamba,  672  ;  and  of  Roderic, 
the  Last  of  the  Goths,  709.  In  the  earlier  years  of 
Kino-  Wamba,  the  African  Saracens,  whom  we 
know  as  the  Moors,  had  already  begun  to  cast 
covetous  glances  towards  the  opposite  coast. 
Letting  "  I  dare  not  wait  upon  I  would "  was 
never  an  adag;e  amonost   Saracenic   Proverbs.      It 

o  o 

was  still  early  in  Wamba's  reign  that,  the  Moors, 
having  got  together  a  large  fleet,  made  a  desperate 
attempt  to  land  upon  the  Spanish  coast.  Wamba 
was  ready  for  them,  and  having  assembled  a  still 
more  formidable  fleet,  was  able  to  scatter  the 
Moorish  forces  to  the  winds,  even  capturing,  as  it 
is  said,  two  hundred  and  seventy  vessels.  This 
was  the  first  occasion  upon  which  the  Moors  and 
Spanish  Goths  had  encountered  each  other.  This 
defeat,  disastrous  as  it  had  turned  out  for  the 
Moors,  would  have  been  for  many  other  nations 
annihilation.  The  Saracen  is  not  so  summarily  to 
be  disposed  of.  In  the  hour  of  unsuccessful  battle, 
that  fine  tenet  of  his  Faith,  "  Islam,"  or,  Resignation, 
is  no  longer  regarded  as  a  cardinal  point. 

The  Moor  comprehends  better  than  any  other 
man  "  se  reculer  pour  mieux  sauter."  When  the 
African  Saracens  made  their  second  and  successful 
spring,  which  was  to  give  them  the  Dominion  of 
Spain  for  more  than  seven  hundred  years,  another 
monarch  was  seated  on  the  Gothic  throne.  It  was 
in    the   year    709   that,    Roderic,   the    Last   of  the 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  25 

Goths,  commenced  his  brief  reign,  and  it  was  in 
the  year  7 1 2  that  he  was  defeated  by  Tarik  in  the 
fateful  Battle  of  Guadalete,  a  few  miles  from  Cadiz. 
That  victory,  surely  one  of  the  decisive  battles 
of  the  world,  put  an  end  for  ever  to  the  Gothic 
dynasty. 

Tarik,  who  was  merely  a  freedman  of  the 
Saracen  Viceroy  in  Africa, — Muza, — has  won  an 
enduring  monument  in  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar. 

For  the  name  of  Jebul-Tarik, — mountain  of 
Tarik — was  thenceforth  given  to  what  had  been 
known  as  the  Rock  of  Calpe.  Roderic's  fate  has 
remained  doubtful.  The  Arabs  declare  that  he 
was  killed  by  Tank's  own  spear,  and  that  the  head 
of  the  defeated  King  was  sent  to  the  Caliph  at 
Damascus.  The  Spaniards  chose  to  hold  other- 
wise, and  occupied  themselves,  (or  their  poets  did 
so,)  in  weaving  many  a  legend  in  celebration  of  his 
subsequent  adventures.  Lockhart,  in  his  "  Spanish 
Poems,"  has  translated  one  of  the  most  poetical. 
Southey,  in  his  "  Last  of  the  Goths,"  has  employed 
himself  in  a  similar  spirit  in  a  poem  of  considerable 
length.  Walter  Scott,  too,  wrote  "  A  Vision  of  Don 
Roderic." 

But  all  the  legends  of  Roderic's  survival  seem 
summarily  disposed  of  by  the  fact  that  Abdalaziz, — 
the  son  of  Muza, — and  who  ruled  Spain  from  Seville 
in  the  absence  of  his  ill-fated  father,  espoused 
Roderic's  widow,  by  name  Egilona.  But  it  is  not 
important  whether  Roderic  were  killed  or  not.  The 
Moorish  dynasty  was  established  by  his  defeat. 

The  astonishing  rapidity  with  which  the  change 


26  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

of  dynasties  was  effected  in  Spain,  and  the  wonder- 
ful success  of  the  Moors  in  the  establishment  of 
sound  government  and  good  order  throughout  the 
Peninsula,  whilst  enhancing  our  admiration  for  the 
administrative  genius  of  that  great  Race,  cannot  but 
cause  our  wonder  that  the  Spanish  Nation,  (or,  as 
we  might  term  it,  the  Roman-Gothic)  should  have 
been  so  little  capable  of  resistance. 

There  must  have  been  something  radically  weak 
in  the  national  character. 

The  besetting  sin  of  the  Race,  a  narrow  pro- 
vincialism, an  incapacity  for  union,  must,  even  then, 
have  been  working  at  the  roots.  Even  religious 
feeling,  that  thirst  for  the  triumph  of  their  Faith, 
which  has  often,  in  Spain,  been  found  to  be  a 
substitute  for  patriotism,  seems  at  that  time  to  have 
been,  if  not  absent,  inoperative. 

It  does  not  surprise  us,  therefore,  that  the  Moors, 
dazzled  as  they  were,  by  the  extraordinary  brilliancy 
of  their  triumph,  should  have  been  led  into  the 
fatal  mistake  of  even  under-rating  the  capacity  of 
so  weak  an  enemy.  They  should  have  recognised 
in  the  feeble  opposition  which  they  had  met,  the 
pernicious  results  of  disunion.  They  had  scarcely 
established  themselves  upon  the  seats  of  their 
predecessors,  when  they  were  agitated  by  all  the 
evils  which  rivalries,  jealousies,  and  dissensions 
engender. 

The  facile  triumph  which  the  Crescent  had 
gained  over  the  Cross  blinded  their  eyes  to  the 
apparently  insignificant,  but  really  portentous  fact 
that  their  still  remained  in  Asturias  a  small  Christian 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  27 

Power,  which  would  swell  and  increase  until  it 
finally  attained  such  formidable  proportions  as  to 
challenge  the  very  existence  of  the  Moorish 
Supremacy. 

The  Moors,  as  they  well  might  do,  over-rated 
their  own  strength.  Strong  as  they  undoubtedly 
had  proved  themselves  to  be,  they  were  in  too 
great  a  hurry  to  manifest  their  indomitable  qualities 
to  the  rest  of  Europe.  Like  Alexander,  they  sighed 
for  other  worlds  to  conquer.  But  it  was  before  that 
they  had  consolidated  the  conquests  they  had 
already  made.  It  was  but  twenty-one  years  since 
that  Tarik  had  landed  at  Gibraltar,  when  Abderah- 
man,  the  Emir,  burst  over  the  Pyrenees  at  the  head 
of  an  immense  host  and  flung  himself  upon  Charles 
Martel,  at  or  near  Tours,  732.  It  is  a  matter  of 
history,  the  reception  which  Abderahman  and  his 
huge  army  met  upon  those  disastrous  fields. 

Abderahman  was  killed,  and  such  of  his  hosts, 
(there  could  not  have  been  many  of  them,)  as  found 
their  way  back  to  Spain,  had  but  a  doleful  tale  to 
recount  to  their  brothers  of  the  Crescent  upon  the 
Spanish  side  of  the  Pyrenees. 

Charles  Martel  showed  no  inclination  to  complete 
his  huge  victory,  by  any  pursuit  of  the  vanquished 
army.  Another  surprising  feature  was,  that  the 
people  of  Spain  should  not  have  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity of  rising  during  the  absence  from  the 
Kingdom  of  so  large  a  proportion  of  their  con- 
querors. It  must  be  supposed  that  Abderahman 
had  taken  every  precaution  against  such  an 
eventuality.     Yet   not   even    the    destruction    of  a 


28  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

host  so  vast,  it  would  seem,  could  put  any  heart 
into  the  cowed  people  of  the  Peninsula. 

Recognising  the  fatal  error  they  had  made  in 
their  hasty  attempt  to  subjugate  the  Frankish  Race, 
the  Emirs,  thenceforward,  directed  all  their  energies 
to  consolidate  their  Empire  in  Spain.  So  far  as 
they  could  be  assisted  in  their  self-imposed  labours, 
by  inexhaustible  supplies  of  the  followers  of 
Mahomet  from  all  the  regions  which  acknow- 
ledged his  sway,  their  task  was  no  difficult  one. 

Their  only  embarrassment  was  to  find  territories 
and  occupations  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  demands 
and  expectations  of  the  new-comers. 

Singularly  skilful  hands  are  required  so  to  ap- 
portion and  distribute  new  acquisitions  of  territory 
to  colonists  whose  imaginations  have  already  been 
set  aflame  by  travellers'  tales  of  the  Eldorados 
and  Californias  which  await  occupation  in  distant 
lands. 

Each  man,  whatever  be  his  origin,  conceives  him- 
self to  possess  a  peculiar  claim  and  right  to  that 
far  more  advantageous  strip  of  ground  which  may 
have  been  assigned  to  a  less  deserving  neighbour. 
Eventually,  however,  it  seems  that  all  the  motley 
hordes  from  all  parts  of  the  East  were  induced  to 
settle  down  in  the  diverse  regions  allotted  to  them 
by  the  Emirs. 

We  hear  of  soldiers  from  Damascus  planted  in 
Cordova  and  the  environs.  They  were  fortunate 
men  indeed,  for  Cordova  was  destined  to  rival, 
even  to  surpass,  Baghdad  in  splendour  and  luxury. 
Upon  the  immigrants  from  Palestine  was  bestowed 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  29 

Algeciraz.  Toledo  and  the  vicinity  were  assigned 
to  Persians,  and  to  Arabs  from  Arabia  Felix. 
Egyptians  gratefully  accepted  the  Western  Coast  of 
Portugal  (for  Portugal,  too,  had  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  Moors). 

But  the  most  fertile  and  attractive  region  of 
Spain, — Granada, — became  the  heritage  of  ten 
thousand  Syrian  horsemen. 

These  references  to  the  different  Races, — all  sons 
of  Mahomet, — who  now  spread  themselves  over 
Spain  and  Portugal, — may  give  some  idea  of  the 
miscellaneous  blood  that  has  modified  the  character 
of  the  Celt-Iberian  Stock. 

Napoleon  is  reported  to  have  said  :  "  Scratch  a 
Russian  and  you  will  show  up  the  Tartar." 

What  race  would  he  have  found  uppermost  had 
he  caused  that  operation  to  be  performed  upon  a 
native  of  the  Iberian  Peninsula,  the  which  he  in 
vain  had  sought  to  subdue  ? 

It  was  in  the  year  750  that  the  horribly-famous 
Massacre  of  the  Omeyads  took  place  at  Damascus. 
It  must  be  referred  to,  even  in  this  outline  of  the 
Moorish  occupation  of  Spain,  because  of  the  instan- 
taneous and  momentous  effect  that  it  had  upon 
Spain  and  her  subsequent  history.  For  some  few 
years  previous  to  that  shocking  occurrence,  Spain 
had  been  convulsed  by  dissensions  amongst  the 
Emirs.  The  jealous  and  short-sighted  policy  of 
the  Caliphs  at  Damascus,  had  always  been  one 
of  fomenting  the  rivalries  of  the  eminent  men  to 
whom  they  owed  the  acquisition  of  the  Spanish 
Peninsula.     By  such  means  Damascus  gave  herself 


30  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

an  excuse  of  ridding  herself,  by  assassination  or 
banishment,  of  such  men  whose  inconvenient  pro- 
minence might  threaten  her  own  predominance. 

But  the  hideous  Massacre  of  the  Omeyads,  at 
Damascus,  came  as  a  final  shock  to  the  forbearance 
of  the  Moorish  Chiefs.  That  forced  them  to  deter- 
mine that  their  own  security  as  well  as  the  welfare 
of  the  kingdom  should  no  longer  be  at  the  mercy 
of  some  capricious  Abbasid  Caliph  in  far-distant 
Damascus.  There  must  have  been  many  adherents 
and  friends  of  the  great  Omeyad  Clan  at  that  time 
in  Spain,  and  to  them  the  rulers  of  the  country 
would  have  naturally  resorted  for  a  solution  of  their 
difficulties.  It  was  known,  fortunately  enough, 
that  one  of  the  great  Race  had  succeeded  in  evading 
the  pursuit  of  the  blood-hounds  who  were  upon  his 
track,  and  that  he  had  taken  refuge  in  Africa. 

Upon  his  being  discovered  somewhere  upon  the 
Coast  of  Barbary,  he  was  immediately  invited  to 
land  in  Spain  and  to  oust  the  unpopular  nominee 
of  the  Abbasid  faction  from  the  throne.  Abd-al- 
Rahman,  (such  was  the  name  of  the  young  Omeyad,) 
elected  to  make  Cordova  his  Seat  of  government, 
and  forthwith  assumed  the  title  of  Caliph  of  that 
City.  His  firm  yet  gentle  character, — his  virtues 
and  accomplishments  at  once  captivated  the  imagi- 
nation of  his  new  subjects,  and  inaugurated  so  happy 
a  condition  of  things  that  the  Epoch  of  Abd-al- 
Rahman,  and  that  of  his  direct  Successors, — a 
period  embracing  over  270  years, — has  been  always 
regarded  as  the  Golden  Age  of  the  Moorish  regime 
in  Spain. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  31 

That  remarkable  prince,  during  the  long  course 
of  his  thirty  years'  reign,  devoted  his  existence 
towards  the  improvement  and  development  of  his 
Country.  He  took  under  his  special  care  the  con- 
struction of  roads  and  bridges, — the  erection  of 
Schools  and  hospitals,  and  the  maintenance  of 
Mosques.  We  may  be  sure  that  he  did  not  neglect 
the  embellishment  of  his  own  Capital,  which,  for 
splendour,  and  luxury,  and  learning,  soon  rivalled 
Baghdad. 

He  declared  that  he  would  build  a  Mosque  which 
for  size  and  magnificence  should  surpass  that  of 
Damascus.  He  kept  his  word.  If  he  did  not  live 
to  complete  it,  he  commenced  and  designed  it  with 
artists  under  his  personal  supervision.  It  remains 
to  the  present  day,  although  tampered  with,  by  a 
Race  even  more  fantastical  than  his  own,  the  admira- 
tion of  the  world  ;  a  stupendous  monument  of  the 
architectural  genius  of  the  Saracen- Race  and  of  his 
own  undying  fame. 

During  the  period  in  which  Abd-al-Rahman 
flourished  a  remarkable  change  had  passed  over 
the  character  of  the  Arabian  Race.  The  fiery  and 
restless  nature  of  the  nation  seemed  softened  by 
the  progress  of  years.  Since  the  repulse  suffered 
by  their  arms  upon  the  Field  of  Tours,  we  hear  no 
more  of  the  necessity  for  the  subjugation  of  Europe. 
The  delight  of  battle  seems  to  have  yielded  to  a 
desire  for  repose, — for  the  softer  attractions  of  litera- 
ture and  for  the  indulgence  of  refined  tastes.  Not 
that  the  Arabs  had  been  wholly  insensible  to  the 
charms  of  a  certain  literary  culture.     During  their 


32  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

wanderings  over  their  huge  deserts  in  the  course  of 
centuries,  their  vivid  imagination  had  often  been 
fired  by  the  contemplation  of  the  boundless  expanses 
of  the  starry  heavens  above  them.  Even  more 
irresistibly  the  beauty  of  their  maidens  appealed  to 
their  ardent  souls  as  they  found  themselves  alone 
with  the  objects  of  their  passion,  far  away  from  the 
bustle  and  hum  of  the  haunts  of  men.  Even  the 
matchless  qualities  of  one  of  their  fleet  steeds  of 
unblemished  lineage,  or  the  swiftness  of  some  camel, 
almost  as  valuable,  would  elicit  from  one  of  their 
Bedouin-poets  an  ode  or  a  sonnet  as  full  of  fire 
and  imagery  as  a  poem  of  Hafiz  or  a  song  of 
Solomon. 

Yet  there  had  been  nothing  hitherto  to  account 
for  the  extraordinary  thirst  now  suddenly  manifested 
for  all  the  great  literary  productions,  and  in  all 
languages,  of  the  genius  of  the  Western  Unbelievers. 

It  was  little  more  than  a  hundred  years  since  the 
blind  and  unreasonable  hatred  of  fanatics  for  all 
the  productions  of  European  intellect  had  culminated 
in  the  destruction  by  Omar  of  the  priceless  Alex- 
andria Library. 

And  now  the  dreams  of  Western  Sages,  the 
speculations  of  Philosophy,  the  researches  of  Science 
were  being  discussed  and  debated  upon  the  shores 
of  the  Tigris  or  the  Guadalquivir  with  as  much 
ardour  as  they  had  formerly  been  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Ilissus.  Never  before  or  since  have  swords 
so  unexpectedly  and  suddenly  been  laid  aside  upon 
book-shelves ! 

A    short    passage    from    Croly's     "  History    of 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  33 

Arabia"  may  be  quoted  here.  His  account  of 
the  Caliphate  of  Haroun-al-Raschid  in  Bagh- 
dad elucidates  a  very  similar  state  of  things  at 
Cordova.  Abd-al- Rahman,  it  may  be  stated,  died 
very  shortly  after  the  accession  of  Haroun-al- 
Raschid,  which  took  place  in  the  year  j86. 
Baghdad  then  became  the  resort  of  poets,  philo- 
sophers, and  mathematicians,  from  every  country 
and  of  every  Creed.  Ambassadors  and  agents  in 
Armenia,  Syria,  and  Egypt,  were  ordered  to  collect 
the  most  important  books  that  could  be  discovered. 
Hundreds  of  camels  might  be  seen  entering  Bagh- 
dad, laden  with  volumes  of  Greek,  Hebrew,  and 
Persian  literature  :  and  such  as  were  thought  to  be 
adapted  to  instruction,  were,  by  the  royal  command, 
translated  by  the  most  skilful  interpreters  into  the 
Arabic  language,  that  all  classes  might  read  and 
understand  them. 

It  is  further  said  that,  the  Arabs  acknowledged  as 
their  chief  Philosopher,  Aristotle  himself.  And  it  is 
even  alleged  that  through  their  medium  it  was  that 
the  works  of  the  great  Stagy  rite  were  made  known 
to  Europe.  Dr.  Croly  goes  on  to  say  that,  Arabian 
learning  shone  with  even  greater  brilliancy  in  Spain 
herself,  and  flourished  to  a  later  period  than  in  the 
Eastern  schools. 

But  to  return  to  the  attractive  personality  of 
Spain's  first  Omeyad  Caliph.  It  is  needful  to 
inquire  what  was  the  attitude  which  Abd-al- Rahman 
assumed  towards  the  Christians  in  Spain.  Tolera- 
tion towards  heretics,  once  upon  a  time,  had  been 
by  no  means  a  characteristic  of  the  Saracens. 

3 


34  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

The  Moors  in   Spain  now  proved  themselves  a 

singularly    adaptive    Race.      At    no    time    in    that 

country,  not  even  upon  their  first  landing,  did  they 

ever  think  it  necessary  to  hunt  down  the  Christians 

upon  the  score  of  faith.     Abd-al-Rahman  himself  is 

certainly  not  open  to  the  charge  of  severity  in  his 

dealings  with  his  Christian  subjects.      Indeed,  the 

Moors    might    rather    have    reproached    him,    for 

having  relaxed  too  much  the  bonds  of  repression. 

For   certainly  in    after-times,   Abd-al-Rahman    and 

his  successors    were   indifferent    to    the    growth   of 

the    small     Christian    kingdom    in    Asturias,    and 

to    another    later     on    in     Galicia,     with    that    of 

Navarre     in    addition.       All    these    small    powers 

formed     the     nucleus     of   after-resistance     to     the 

Moors.     For,  thence  was  to  descend  in  after-times 

Alfonso    I    of    Castile,    and     Leon,     himself,    who 

became  a  Christian  champion  of  the  Faith  scarcely 

inferior  in  popular  estimation  to  the  Cid  who  fought 

under  his  banner,  and  one  certainly  more  dreaded 

by  the  Moors. 

Abd-al-Rahman,  however,  though  not  reducing 
the  rulers  of  these  kingdoms  to  absolute  depen- 
dence, as  he  should  have  done,  forced  them  to 
become  his  tributaries,  and  in  the  case  of  Ismela, 
the  King  of  Asturias,  subjected  him  to  certain  tolls 
and  tributes. 

One  of  these  tributes  was  a  very  curious  one. 
Ismela  had  to  send  the  Caliph  annually  a  present 
of  a  hundred  maidens.  Fifty  of  noble  birth,  the 
others  of  lesser  distinction.  There  is  a  weird 
old-world  touch  about  this  fanciful  tribute.      It  sets 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  35 

one  thinking  of  the  hoary  legends  of  Theseus  and 
the  Minotaur. 

A  pretty  and  attractive  feature  in  the  character 
of  Abd-al- Rahman  is  related.  The  first  recorded 
poem  and  the  first  palm-tree  in  Spain  were  his. 
He  brought  from  Africa  the  first  palm-tree,  that 
had  been  seen  in  Spain,  and  planted  it  at  Cordova. 
In  the  graceful  and  touching  address  to  his  tree,  he 
bewails  his  own  cruel  fate  as  an  exile  and  that  of 
his  murdered  Race. 

A  notable  event  occurred  in  Abd-al- Rahman's 
Caliphate.  No  less  a  one  than  that  of  the  appearance 
of  Charlemagne  in  Spain.  It  may  be  supposed 
that  he  desired  to  complete  the  victory  of  his  grand- 
father, Charles  Martel.  Charlemagne's  object  was 
certainly  not  attained.  The  great  rout  at  Ronces- 
valles,  in  which  the  Spaniards  and  Moors  fought 
side  by  side,  was,  in  its  way,  as  disastrous  to 
Charlemagne  as  the  Battle  of  Tours  had  been  to 
the  Moorish  army.  How  history  repeats  itself! 
The  modern  Charlemagne  also  sought  to  add  Spain 
to  his  own  over-swollen  Empire,  with  similarly 
disastrous  result.  Spain  has  never  known  so  pro- 
tracted a  period  of  prosperity  as  that  which  she 
enjoyed  under  the  sway  of  the  Omeyad  Caliphs. 
It  had  not  hitherto  been  given  to  any  country  in 
Europe  to  be  ruled  by  the  same  dynasty  for  near 
three  hundred  years.  The  fact  speaks  volumes  for 
the  conciliatory,  firm,  and  intelligent  qualities  of  the 
ruling  Race.  It  was  an  epoch,  too,  when  the  Moors 
had  convinced  themselves  of  the  necessity  of  union 
amongst    themselves    in    order  to    preserve  a   firm 


36  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

and  serried  front  against  any  show  of  disaffection 
amongst  the  conquered. 

Something-  has  been  said  here  of  the  remarkable 
toleration  extended  by  the  Moors  to  the  profession 
and  practice  of  the  Christian  Faith.  The  Spanish 
Christians  were  allowed  full  control  over  their 
religious  establishments,  and  to  worship  in  their 
churches  when  and  where  they  pleased.  Their 
bishops,  and  priests,  and  monks,  and  nuns  were 
left  undisturbed  in  the  possession  of  the  ecclesiastical 
and  conventual  building.  Notwithstanding,  how- 
ever, the  generous  position  towards  their  Christian 
subjects  assumed  by  the  civil  power,  it  was  in- 
evitable that  religious  animosities  would  break 
out  at  times  between  the  lower  orders  of  both 
parties. 

There  were  those,  too,  amongst  the  Christians, 
(it  has  been  so  in  many  countries,)  who  courted 
persecution, — who  were  irritated  by  the  superior  airs 
which  a  ruling  power  is  thought  to  be  giving  itself, 
when  it  confers  toleration  as  a  favour,  and  refuses 
to  confer  the  honours  of  martyrdom  upon  those 
who  are  ostentatiously  seeking  to  become  martyrs. 
In  the  reign  of  Abd-al- Rahman  II,  who  was  Caliph 
in  821,  the  Spanish  Christians  succeeded  in  forcing 
that  ruler  to  persecute  and  punish  them.  It  is 
very  probable  that  the  Christians  often  received 
public  provocations  from  their  enemies  in  the 
streets,  although  certainly  not  from  those  in  autho- 
rity. But  whatever  the  insults  may  have  been, 
nothing  could  justify  the  Christians  for  the  abusive 
and  outrageous  terms  which  they  sometimes  heaped 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  37 

upon  the  venerated  name  of  Mahomet,  even  in 
the  public  Courts  and  Offices. 

That  the  policy  of  toleration  became  much 
modified  under  Abd-al-Rahman  II  and  most  of 
his  Omeyad  successors  cannot  be  doubted.  But 
it  was  certainly  owing  to  the  insolent  bearing 
and  language  of  the  Christians  themselves. 

In  the  year  103 1  the  great  dynasty  of  the 
Omeyads,  which  upon  the  whole  had  been  the 
means  of  conferring  immense  benefits  upon  Spain, 
came  to  an  end  by  the  deposition  of  Hixem  III. 
This  most  untoward  event  put  an  end  to  the 
Caliphate  of  Cordova,  and  we  consequently  now 
find  a  whole  host  of  conflicting  rivals,  each  strug- 
gling to  possess  himself  of  a  portion  of  the  spoil. 
Almost  every  considerable  place  became  a  small 
kingdom  under  a  separate  king, — and  all  were  at 
war  one  with  another. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  Century,  however,  things 
mended  somewhat.  The  weakest  had  succumbed, 
and  by  the  survival  of  the  fittest  the  general  con- 
fusion that  had  ensued  was  dispelled,  and  Moorish 
Spain  reappears  governed  by  four  Caliphs  :  of 
Seville,  Badajoz,  Toledo  ;  and  Saragossa  with  a 
portion  of  Portugal. 

By  a  very  remarkable  coincidence,  at  exactly 
the  same  time  when  these  events  were  occurring 
in  Moorish  Spain,  the  Christian  portions  of  Spain 
also  were  found  to  consist  of  four  kingdoms, 
those  of  Leon,  Castile,  Aragon,  and  Navarre. 

It  seems  as  if  it  were  fated  that  these  rival 
kingdoms  should  engage  each  other  upon  numeri- 


38  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

cally  equal  terms, — as  regards  the  number  of  pro- 
vinces at  least.  And  now  again  the  ancient  curse 
of  want  of  unity  amongst  themselves,  so  beneficially 
averted  during  the  generations  of  Omeyad  Rule, 
was  once  more  to  exercise  its  baneful  effects  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Moors. 

Very  gradually  and  slowly,  it  is  true,  for  the 
Spaniards  were  also  divided  amongst  themselves ; 
and  it  was  not  till  the  year  1085  that  the  first  heavy 
blow  descended  upon  the  Moorish  cause  in  the 
Fall  of  Toledo.  And  that  first  great  success  of 
Alfonso  of  Castile  meant  the  loss  to  the  Moors 
of  New  Castile. 

Alfonso,  encouraged  by  this  startling  feat  of 
arms  of  his  own,  immediately  set  about  to  reduce 
the  cities  of  Seville  and  Cordova.  But  Mohammed, 
the  then  King  of  Seville,  was  by  no  means  prepared 
to  yield  up  his  kingdom  even  to  the  conqueror 
of  Toledo.  He  determined  to  invite  the  aid  of 
a  peculiarly  fanatical  and  warlike  Tribe  who  had 
lately  possessed  themselves  of  the  whole  of  Northern 
Africa.  The  Almoravides,  (as  they  were  called,) 
did  not  hesitate  to  accept  the  invitation  of  the  King 
of  Seville.  War  in  any  shape  was  their  peculiar 
delight,  and  having  specially  dedicated  themselves 
to  the  services  of  Allah  and  his  Prophet,  they  were 
thirsting  for  an  opportunity  of  manifesting  their 
religious  zeal. 

It  was  a  few  months  after  tne  capture  of  Toledo, 
that  Alfonso  encountered  the  united  hosts  of  the 
King  of  Seville  and  the  Almoravides  at  Talaca, 
near  Badajos,  and  was  completely  defeated. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  39 

Mohammed  seems  to  have  thought  that  a  great 
victory,  without  any  substantial  fruits  to  his  now 
inconvenient  friends,  would  be  its  own  sufficing 
reward.  He  expected, — very  short-sightedly, — 
(having  given  them  a  much  longed-for  opportunity 
of  smiting  the  soldiers  of  the  Cross,)  that  they 
would  forthwith  pack  up,  bag  and  baggage,  and 
return  to  their  native  shores. 

But  the  Almoravides,  quite  contrary  to  his 
expectations,  had  come  to  stay.  They  found  the 
attractions  of  the  Spanish  Peninsula  very  far 
superior  to  those  of  their  native  Seats,  and  under 
their  leader,  Yusef,  determined  to  annex  the  king- 
dom of  Seville.  And  now  a  startling  event 
occurred.  Mohammed,  in  the  desperate  condition 
in  which  he  now  found  himself,  had  actually  to  beg 
the  assistance  of  Alfonso,  his  late  enemy,  and 
whom  he  had  so  lately  overcome  by  the  aid  of 
his  new  allies,  to  rid  himself  of  the  very  formid- 
able Tribe  which  he  had  just  summoned  from 
Africa. 

This  unhallowed  alliance,  however,  led  to  no 
success.  The  Almoravides  soon  disposed  of  the 
united  forces  of  Mohammed  and  Alfonso. 

Mohammed  was  deposed  and  deported  to  Africa, 
to  announce  to  the  African  Saracens  that  the 
Almoravides  had  no  thoughts  of  returning.  In 
the  meantime,  Yusef,  their  general,  mounted  the 
vacant  throne  of  Seville,  thus  founding  a  new 
dynasty. 

This  event  greatly  alarmed  the  Moorish 
sovereigns  then  reigning  throughout  Spain.    Yusef 


40  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

was  now  the  common  enemy  of  Moors  and 
Christians  alike.  Alfonso  joined  his  forces  to 
those  of  the  petty  Moorish  kings,  once  more 
thoroughly  united  amongst  themselves,  and  for 
some  years  the  unique  spectacle  was  to  be  witnessed 
of  Moors  and  Christians  fighting  in  unison  under 
the  same  banners.  Even  the  famous  "  Cid " 
(Rodrigo  Diaz  de  Vivar),  that  stalwart  champion 
of  the  Cross !  was  found  willing  to  wield  his  blade 
on  the  side  of  the  Moslems  when  State-policy 
required. 

But  neither  his  efforts  nor  those  of  any  other  of 
the  present  Moorish-Christian  League  could  make 
head  against  Yusef. 

And  thus,  in  the  year  1094  we  find  Moorish 
Spain  once  more  re-united  under  one  sovereign, 
and  the  Almoravides  dynasty  of  Yusef  and  his 
successors  paramount  in  Spain  for  half  a  century. 
Yet  during  this  period,  although  the  Moors  were 
fairly  united  amongst  themselves,  the  Christians 
had  never  been  more  active  or  more  daring  in  their 
encroachments  upon  Moorish  territory.  Alfonso, 
King  of  Aragon  and  Navarre,  who  had  married 
Urraca,  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Alfonso  of 
Castile,  especially  proved  himself  a  redoubtable 
champion  of  the  Christian  cause.  By  his  prowess 
he  had  gained  for  himself  the  title  of  "  El  Batal- 
lador,"  for  he  claimed  victory  over  the  Moors  in 
no  less  than  twenty-nine  stubborn  fights. 

Saragossa  and  Taragona  were  wrested  by  him 
from  the  Moors,  as  well  as  the  less  important 
Daroca  and   Tudela.     He   substantially  added   to 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH  41 

his  patrimony  of  Aragon  and  Navarre,  and  made 
greater  inroads  upon  the  South  than  any  of  the 
Christian  Generals  had  yet  dared.  He  was  univer- 
sally regarded  as  the  most  formidable  antagonist 
whom  the  Moors  had  yet  encountered,  and  his 
long  series  of  successes  were  followed  with  the 
same  expectant  interest  as  those  of  his  father-in-law 
had  been  in  the  previous  century.  But,  in  1133, 
his  good  fortune  deserted  him.  He  sustained  a 
defeat  and  died  shortly  afterwards.  Yet  his  ill- 
success  in  the  later  years  of  his  life  must  not  be 
allowed  to  diminish  our  estimation  of  the  immense 
progress  that  the  Christians  had  made  in  the 
recovery  of  Spain.  Both  he  and  his  father-in-law 
had  been  the  means  of  severely  shaking  the  general 
belief  in  the  invincibility  of  the  Moors. 

Both  monarchs  may  certainly  be  regarded  as 
having  been  the  Avant-couriers  of  the  great  St. 
Ferdinand,  who  was  to  capture  Seville  about  a 
hundred  years  after.  The  death  of  Alfonso,  King 
of  Navarre  and  Aragon,  who  left  no  heirs,  was 
the  cause  of  considerable  confusion  amongst  the 
Christians. 

Aragon  and  Navarre,  respectively,  had  to  select 
new  sovereigns.  Leon  and  Castile  went  to  Alfonso 
Raymond,  his  wife's  son,  though  those  kingdoms 
had  been  practically  in  the  possession  of  Raymond 
during  his  stepfather's  lifetime. 

An  infant  niece  of  the  deceased  monarch 
succeeded  to  the  kingdom  of  Aragon,  and  her 
betrothal  to  the  Count  of  Barcelona  was  the  means 
of  uniting  the  then  French  Provinces  of  Catalonia 


42  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

to    Aragon.       That    was    an    occurrence    of    great 
historical  import  in  after-times. 

Just  about  this  period,  Portugal,  which  had  been 
gradually  slipping  from  the  Moorish  grasp  for 
many  years  past,  declared  her  complete  indepen- 
dence, not  only  of  the  Moors,  but  of  the  Kings 
of  Castile.  For  that  portion  of  Portugal,  which 
had  been  recovered  from  the  Moors  by  Alfonso  I, 
of  Leon  and  Castile,  had  been  for  some  years 
governed  by  a  Viceroy.  The  name  of  the  first 
independent  King  of  Portugal  was  Alfonso  Hen- 
riquez.      (1139.) 

Thus  by  this  rise  of  another  Christian  Power 
upon  her  flank,  the  Moorish  Power  was  becoming 
sadly  hemmed  in.  And  almost  simultaneously  a 
foreign  enemy  was  engaging  the  attention  of  the 
Almoravid  Ali,  the  then  Caliph.  A  new  tribe  of 
Mussulmans  again,  the  Almohades,  were  threaten- 
ing Spain  from  Africa  just  as  Ali's  own  ancestors 
had  done.  Neither  Ali,  nor  his  son,  were  able  to 
put  down  these  upstart  brethren  of  theirs.  Their 
successor  fared  very  much  worse.  He  was  cap- 
tured in  Morocco  and  beheaded  by  the  leader 
of  the  Almohades,   Abdulmumen. 

This  event  put  an  end  to  the  sway  of  the 
Almoravides,  and  by  the  accession  of  the  pre- 
sent Conqueror  to  the  vacant  throne  of  Moorish 
Spain,  yet  another  Moorish  dynasty  came  into 
power. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  13th  Century,  then, 
it  seemed  as  though  the  two  hostile  Races  in 
Spain  were  marking  time.     No  leader  of  the  first 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  43 

rank    upon    either    side    was   at    this    time   to    the 
fore. 

Yet  though  no  decisive  blow  was  at  present 
imminent,  the  comparative  calm  was  deceptive. 
Each  race  kept  grim  watch  within  their  tented 
fields.  Their  mailed  hands  never  left  their  sword- 
hilts  ;  their  unsleeping  eyes  ever  upon  the  alert, 
to  watch  any  premature  movement.  Neither  side 
seemed  at  this  time  to  have  yielded  an  acre,  yet 
the  influence  of  the  Christians  was  spreading 
beyond  their  own  borders. 

They  were  advancing  by  the  weight  of  a  half- 
conscious  momentum  without  the  effort  of  any 
fresh  enterprise  of  their  own. 

As  we  moderns  could  put  it,  the  tide  was  with 
them,  and  public  opinion  was  on  their  side. 

About  the  year  1230,  however,  the  aspect  of 
affairs  underwent  a  considerable  though  a  gradual 
change.  The  presence  of  certain  determined  and 
energetic  men  in  the  Christian  provinces  pointed 
to  a  not  far  distant  crisis. 

Moorish  Spain  had  again  slipped  into  the  hands 
of  three  Rulers,  of  Almohad  blood,  instead  of  one 
only.  That  fresh  partition  did  not  augur  an 
increase  of  vitality. 

Confronted  by  Leon  and  Castile  under  the 
energetic  sway  of  the  indomitable  Ferdinand  ;  by 
Aragon,  ruled  by  the  equally  able  James  I  ;  by 
Navarre,  under  Thibault  I,  (not  to  mention  Por- 
tugal ruled  by  Sancho,)  the  Moors  seemed  fairly 
driven  into  a  corner. 

Indeed,    they   had    no    outlet    left    to    them    in 


44  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

case  of  supreme  disaster,  but  in  the  direction  of 
Granada. 

And  the  shadow  of  that  disaster,  and  of  the 
inevitable  flight,  was  already  upon  them.  Yet  they 
had  ample  warning  given  them,  and  could  give  no 
excuses  of  unpreparedness,  or  of  sudden  surprise  ; 
of  unlooked-for  panic,  or  even  of  being  out- 
numbered. 

St.  Ferdinand  and  James  of  Aragon,  the  new 
Twin- Brethren  who  were  at  last  to  lead  the  Cross 
to  long-expected  victory,  advanced  into  Andalucia 
with  slow  and  measured  steps, — certain  of  each  yard 
of  ground  before  they  possessed  themselves  of 
another,  never  under-rating  now  the  enemy  they 
had  to  deal  with,  having  learned  by  fatal  ex- 
perience how  often  fields  had  been  lost  by  that 
folly. 

And,  above  all,  keeping  alive  in  the  breasts 
of  their  soldiers  the  flame  of  a  religious  ardour, 
not  inferior  to,  or  less  hot,  than  that  which  ever 
blazed  in  the  souls  of  their  equally  fanatical 
opponents. 

Thus,  slowly  and  gradually,  cities  and  towns 
fell  before  the  ponderous  advance  of  these  new 
Crusaders,  and  the  undulating  lands  of  Andalucia, 
which  generations  of  Moors  had  planted,  and 
watered,  and  reaped, — slowly,  very  slowly,  became 
the  prizes  of  the  conquering  Christians.  And  at 
last, — the  greatest  prize  of  all  for  which  Moslems 
and  Christians  had  ever  contended, — the  great  City 
of  Cordova  was  captured  by  St.  Ferdinand  in  June, 
1236  (some  say  1235). 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  45 

The  fame  of  Cordova  had  gone  forth  into  all 
lands.  She  had  long  been  regarded  by  all  nations 
as  the  great  jewel  of  the  South,  the  chief  emblem 
of  Saracen  dominion  in  Spain,  and  as  one  of  the 
greatest  Cities  of  the  world,  the  stronghold  of 
Western  civilisation  and  luxury,  of  Oriental  learn- 
ing and  of  Oriental  art.  We  have  a  difficulty 
now  in  realising  all  that  Cordova  meant  to  the 
Saracen  Race,  for  that  Race  has  so  completely 
vanished  from  our  ken  in  Europe.  But  we  may 
be  sure  that  to  the  Eastern  world  the  news  came 
as  though  it  were  the  fall  of  a  second  Nineveh. 
And,  perhaps,  even  upon  the  ear  of  a  Spaniard, 
— (it  is  not  an  imaginative  Race) — the  echo  of  the 
plaintive  cry,  "  Pan  is  dead ! "  may  have  fallen, 
when  Cordova  fell. 

The  prestige  of  Mohammed  had  been  for  ever 
shattered  in  Spain,  and  his  votaries  must  now  have 
realised,  if  not  before,  that  any  hopes  of  extending 
his  empire  in  Europe  had  been  relegated  to  the 
Land  of  Dreams.  Whilst  St.  Ferdinand  was  step 
by  step  rescuing  Andalucia  from  the  Moorish  yoke, 
James  of  Aragon  was  harrying  the  heathen  in  the 
Eastern  Provinces,  and  in  1238  or  1239,  captured 
the  city  of  Valencia,  another  ancient  and  famous 
stronghold  of  the  Moors,  and  boasting  one  of  the 
most  considerable  Ports  of  the  Country.  The 
Province  had  been  the  scene  of  one  of  the  earliest 
conquests  of  the  Crescent  and  had  been  placed 
under  the  control  of  Cordova.  It  had  thrown  over 
its  allegiance  to  Cordova,  at  the  moment  of  the  fall 
of   the    Omeyad    Dynasty,    and    had    decided    for 


46  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 


independence.  But  dissensions  having  broken  out 
between  rival  factions,  Spanish  aid  was  called  in. 
The  City  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  famous 
exploits  of  the  Cid,  and  also,  if  the  Saracen  his- 
torian may  be  credited,  of  some  of  his  most  cruel 
deeds.  The  Cid,  dying  in  1099,  bequeathed  the 
City  to  his  widow,  Ximena,  who,  after  two  years 
of  nominal  possession,  had  to  yield  the  City  to  the 
Moors. 

By  the  present  victory  of  James,  Valencia  became 
an  appanage  of  his  ancestral  dominions,  and 
eventually  passed  to  Ferdinand,  the  husband  of 
Isabella  of  Castile. 

St.  Ferdinand,  the  captor  of  Cordova,  was  a 
cautious  general,  and  decided  thoroughly  to  con- 
solidate his  conquests  before  moving  on.  If  his 
military  qualities  and  the  valour  of  his  army  are  not 
to  be  disputed,  he  owed  much  of  his  success  to  the 
support  of  the  Moors  themselves,  who  had  been  for 
years  past  much  more  occupied  by  fighting  for 
supremacy  amongst  each  other  than  in  stemming 
the  progress  of  the  Christians. 

It  is  probable,  too,  that  Ferdinand  placed  no 
great  faith  in  such  unstable  allies,  and  was  quite 
aware  that  any  check  to  his  arms  would  be  the 
signal  for  a  general  rally  against  him.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  causes  of  Ferdinand's  long  halt, 
it  was  not  till  the  year  1 248, — some  twelve  years 
after  the  capture  of  Cordova, — that  Seville  surren- 
dered to  him.  And  then  only  after  a  siege  of  more 
than  a  year. 

Although  the  fall  of  Seville  was  a  final  blow  to 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  47 

the  Saracen  cause  in  Andalucia,  in  moral  effect,  it 
was  less  important  than  that  of  Cordova. 

The  capture  of  that  City  had  sounded  the  death- 
knell  of  the  Caliphate.  Seville  represented  nothing 
now.  There  was  no  bond  of  union  or  common 
interest  left,  except  that  of  fanaticism,  to  soften 
mutual  hatred,  and  to  reconcile  rival  chiefs. 

Ephemeral  kings  possessed  themselves  of  a  few 
hours  of  power,  only  to  be  dispossessed  by  suc- 
cessors of  equally  brief  tenure.  Indeed,  at  the 
time  of  the  capture  of  the  City,  Ferdinand  found  a 
sort  of  Republic,  with  a  nominal  chief  at  the  head 
of  affairs.  And  he  owed  his  success  as  usual  to 
Saracen  treachery  quite  as  much  as  to  the  valour  of 
his  own  army. 

In  the  hour  of  victory,  St.  Ferdinand  always 
showed  himself  calm  and  reasonable  in  his  treatment 
of  the  conquered.  When  he  had  divided  the  spoils 
of  the  City  of  Seville  amongst  his  soldiers,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  deal  generously  with  the  recreant  Moors, 
who  had  assisted  him  in  its  capture.  To  Ibn-1- 
Ahmar,  Sheik  of  Jaen,  the  chief  instrument  of 
Ferdinand's  success,  a  splendid  reward  was  assigned. 
The  City  of  Granada  and  the  fertile  lands  of  its 
far-famed  Vega,  Jaen, — the  small  independent 
kingdom  of  which  Ibn-1-Ahmar  was  the  ruler, — 
is  not  far  from  Granada,  and  it  may  be  supposed 
that  the  Sheik  had  long  ago  turned  his  eyes  upon 
that   Elysium  of  Spain. 

That  he  was,  in  return  for  an  acquisition  so 
valuable  and  delightful,  to  acknowledge  Ferdinand 
as  his  Suzerain,  was  no  immoderate  condition. 


48  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Ibn-1-Ahmar,  upon  his  arrival  in  his  new  do- 
minions, was  greeted  by  his  subjects  with  shouts 
of  "  Long  live  the  conqueror !  " 

That  was  a  rather  too  eloquent  tribute  to  the 
part  which  the  "Conqueror"  had  taken  in  the 
reduction  of  Seville  !  But  that  seems  to  have  been 
regarded  as  a  great  "  feather  in  his  cap."  It  is  said 
that  Ibn-1-Ahmar,  immediately  after  his  arrival, 
commenced  to  build  the  Alhambra.  But  it  is 
certain  that  the  hill  upon  which  that  noble  Palace 
stands,  was  built  upon,  centuries  before  the  advent 
of  the  "Conqueror." 

Meantime,  St.  Ferdinand  and  his  army  settled 
down  in  their  new  capital.  For  Seville  now 
assumed  that  position,  until  Charles  V  thought 
good  to  transfer  the  seat  of  power  to  Valladolid. 

It  does  not  seem  that  St.  Ferdinand  had  occasion 
to  engage  in  any  further  crusades.  He  died  at 
Seville  in  1252,  at  a  time  when  he  was  supposed, 
however,  to  be  contemplating  an  invasion  of  Africa. 
His  canonisation  by  Pope  Clement  IX  took  place 
in  1668. 

It  may  have  seemed  to  some,  weakness  upon 
Ferdinand's  part  to  sutler  a  great  Moorish  City 
and  province  to  grow  up  upon  the  flank  of  the 
recently  recovered  Province  of  Andalucia,  a  district 
to  which  it  was  certain  that  most  of  the  ousted 
and  disaffected  Moors  would  speedily  betake 
themselves.  We  hear,  indeed,  about  this  time,  of 
the  population  of  Granada  as  already  numbering 
450,000  souls.  Probably,  Ferdinand  was  of  opinion 
that  even  if  he  had  not  killed  the  snake,  he  had 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  49 

scotched  it  so  effectually  that  it  would  be  dormant 
in  his  time.  It  was  better,  too,  to  have  the  mischief 
brought  to  a  head  in  one  spot,  than  to  be  rankling 
in  many. 

In  any  case,  the  Moorish  population  was  so  large 
that  he  had  no  other  means  of  dealing  with  it. 
And  Ferdinand  was  too  wise  and  humane  to  antici- 
pate the  insensate  and  wicked  policy  of  the  second 
and  third  Philips  of  later  generations.  Ibn-1-Ahmar, 
meantime,  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  and  ruling  ably  and  intelligently, 
evinced  no  desire  to  renounce  the  allegiance  which 
he  had  sworn  to  maintain.  Granada  increased  and 
throve  under  his  successors,  and  became  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Faithful  all  that  Cordova  had  been.  So  great, 
so  powerful,  so  luxurious,  that  her  rulers  soon 
forgot  by  what  means  the  City  had  become  theirs. 
And  so  for  two  hundred  years  the  great  struggle 
between  the  Moors  and  Christians, — only  tem- 
porarily interrupted, — was  recommenced  and  con- 
tinued with  all  its  former  vigour, — in  all  its  brilliant 
phases,  and  picturesque  alternations  of  doughty 
deeds,  of  stirring  feats  of  arms,  of  desperate 
valour. 

It  became  one  of  the  most  protracted,  absorbing, 
brilliant  and  romantic  struggles  ever  seen  in  any 
part  of  the  world.  Again,  the  supremacy  of  the 
Cross  or  Crescent  was  in  question,  and  Europe 
looked  on  at  the  development  of  this  new  and 
long  Crusade,  as  though  it  were  a  struggle  in  an 
arena,  or  a  duel  between  two  perfectly  matched 
gladiators. 

4 


50  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

The  long  contest  was  brought  to  a  death- 
struggle  just  at  the  period  when  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  had  united,  by  their  marriage,  the  larger 
portion  of  Spain  beneath  their  sceptres,  and  when 
Muley-Aben-Hassan,  one  of  the  most  able  of  the 
later  rulers,  was  seated  on  the  throne  of  Granada. 

The  casus  belli  of  this  last  long  struggle,  which 
lasted  from  the  year  1481  until  the  capture  of 
Granada  in  1492,  was  the  refusal  of  the  powerful 
Moorish  Ruler  to  pay  the  tribute  originally  agreed 
upon  between  Granada  and  St.  Ferdinand. 

The  conditions  upon  which  Granada  had  been 
made  over  to  the  Moors  were,  that  the  kings  of 
Granada  should  annually  hand  over  to  their  Spanish 
Suzerain  a  sum  of  two  thousand  golden  pistoles 
and  sixteen  hundred  Christian  captives,  or  if  these 
latter  were  not  forthcoming,  an  equal  number  of 
Moors,  to  be  considered  as  the  slaves  of  the 
Spanish  Rulers.  These  latter,  moreover,  were  to 
be  delivered  in  the  City  of  Cordova,  which  still  was 
regarded  in  the  eyes  of  the  Moors,  although  no 
longer  theirs,  as  the  Spanish  Mecca,  and  chiefly  so 
because  it  contained  their  greatest  and  most  famous 
Mosque.  It  may  easily  be  imagined  how  this 
yearly  consignment  of  their  unfortunate  brethren 
into  the  hands  of  their  Spanish  masters  in  the  very 
stronghold  of  their  Faith  must  have  made  the 
Saracen  population  wince.  Any  evasion  of  that 
clause  must  have  gained  all  their  sympathies. 

Muley  Hassan,  as  has  been  noted,  had  for  some 
years  refused  to  carry  out  any  of  these  stipulations. 
And,    accordingly,    when    Ferdinand   and    Isabella 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  51 

sent  envoys  to  Granada  to  demand  the  arrears  of 
the  tribute  due  to  them,  they  received  the  haughtiest 
of  replies  :  "  The  kings  of  Granada  who  used  to 
pay  what  you  demand  of  me  are  no  longer  in 
existence.  My  mint  coins  only  the  blades  of 
scimitars,  and  lance-heads."  That  was  the  drift 
of  Muley  Hassan's  answer. 

Muley  Hassan  being  the  last  of  the  heroic  Moors, 
will  always  live  in  Spanish  History,  not  only  for  his 
own  surpassing  qualities,  but  as  the  father  of  the 
last  of  the  Moorish  Sovereigns,  Boabdil-el-Chico. 
He  was  but  a  phantom-king,  a  mere  puppet ;  during 
the  last  days  of  his  reign  in  the  hands  of  Ferdinand, 
until  it  suited  that  sovereign  to  dispossess  him 
altogether. 

Yet  the  chequered  career,  the  imprisonments,  the 
romantic  adventures,  the  melancholy  fate  of  that 
"Child  of  Destiny,"  and  more  than  all  the  pathetic 
exit  of  the  last  of  his  Race,  from  the  gates  of  the 
City,  upon  the  25th  of  November,  1491,  impress 
the  imagination  as  much  as  any  event  in  modern 
history.  How  many,  whilst  perusing  the  record  of 
the  final  struggle,  have  echoed  the  ultimo  suspiro 
of  that  last  of  the  Moors ! 

In  this  rapid  sketch  of  the  Moorish  Raj  in  Spain, 
however  imperfect,  the  reader  may  perhaps  realise 
as  the  writer  has  realised,  that  Moors  and  Spaniards 
during  their  seven  hundred  years'  co-existence  were 
not  always  at  daggers  drawn. 

The  two  nations, — it  cannot  be  conceived  as 
otherwise, — must  have  come  together  at  many 
points. 


52  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

The  immeasurably  greater  qualities  of  the  Saracen 
conquerors  moulded  and  influenced  the  national 
character  of  the  Visigothic  people  to  a  far  greater 
extent  than  we  think. 

All  that  they  learned  of  the  arts  of  peace,  and 
much  of  those  of  war,  came  to  that  rude  people  from 
their  conquerors.  Nor  had  the  Moors  any  scruples 
at  all  in  taking  to  their  bosoms  Christian  wives. 
The  Roman-Gothic  Spaniards  were  not  less 
sensible  to  the  attractions  of  the  dusky  daughters 
of  their  African  conquerors.  Intermarriages  must 
have  been  very  frequent.  So  much  so,  that  if 
one  ethnological  feature  be  more  apparent  than 
another  in  the  modern  Spaniard,  it  certainly  is  that 
of  the  Oriental. 

If  every  now  and  then  the  fierce  feelings  en- 
gendered by  antagonistic  creeds  broke  out,  and 
urged  them  to  undertake  intermittent  Crusades, 
doubtless  those  mutual  ties  of  relationship  mitigated 
the  fury  of  them,  and  allowed  the  fires  to  burn 
down. 

The  triumph  of  the  Cross  or  the  Crescent,  then, 
could  not  always  have  been  the  one  predominant 
idea,  even  in  those  parts  of  Spain  where  the  Moors 
were  regarded  as  temporary  invaders  rather  than 
as  permanent  rulers.  I  n  the  case  of  two  nationalities, 
whom  long  familiarity  had  nearly  fused  into  one, 
mundane  considerations  would  have  had  fully  as 
great  an  influence  as  those  of  Creed.  Occasions 
were  often  arising  when  it  became  of  the  first 
importance  to  join  hands  irrespectively  of  their 
beliefs, 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH  53 

One  Moorish  tribe  was  in  arms  against  another, 
and  the  jealous  Spaniards  were  only  too  proud  that 
they  still  had  swords  to  throw  into  the  balance,  and 
yet  were  not  too  proud  to  invoke  the  assistance 
of  the  warlike  Moslems  in  their  turn,  when  they 
also  suffered  intertribal  disputes. 

It  has  already  been  noted,  that  the  Cid  himself 
was  not  above  brandishing  his  famous  sword  in 
alliance  with  those  very  heathen  whom  he  a  few 
years  before  had  been  scattering  far  and  wide.  As 
we  have  seen  in  the  instance  of  Charlemagne's 
rout  at  Roncesvalles,  Spaniards  and  Moors  could 
put  aside  all  their  differences  when  the  invasion  of 
their  common  Country  inspired  them  with  a  fellow- 
feeling.  And,  here  it  may  be  noted,  that  the  autho- 
rity of  the  legend  which  attributes  Charlemagne's 
presence  in  Spain  to  the  invitation  of  certain 
Saracen  Tribes,  is  very  apocryphal.  So  that,  (it 
is  fairly  evident  now,)  in  the  long  course  of  cen- 
turies the  futility  of  incessant  struggles  between 
the  two  Nations  had  become  palpable  to  both — 
that  Moors  and  Spaniards  had  learned  to  settle 
down  and  to  live  in  comparative  harmony  with  one 
another. 

And  the  Spaniards,  moreover,  even  if  not  loving 
their  conquerors,  could  not  close  their  eyes  to  the 
immense  benefits  which  the  country  had  derived 
from  the  civilisation  and  the  knowledge  of  the  arts 
possessed  by  the  Moors. 

It  is  more  than  doubtful  whether  the  Moors,  upon 
their  arrival,  found  any  such  advantages  amongst 
the  people  whom  they  conquered  with  such  facility. 


54  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Whatever  may  be  said  in  favour  of  the  Visigoths, 
they  were  undoubtedly  not  what  we  should  term  an 
"advanced"  Race.  Excessive  pride  is,  generally, 
the  companion  of  ignorance.  Would  it  be  a  hard 
saying  to  express  an  opinion  that  those  qualities 
have  never  deserted  the  Spanish   Race  ? 

If,  in  the  days  of  the  Moorish  possession  of  the 
Country,  they  could  not  deny  that  they  were  indebted 
to  their  conquerors  for  many  benefits,  they  were 
certainly  not  appreciative  of  those  storehouses  of 
learning  at  Cordova  and  elsewhere,  which  have 
already  been  referred  to. 

Although  the  Spaniards,  in  their  superior  ignor- 
ance, might  smile  at  the  enthusiasm  which  caused 
the  Saracens  to  hunt  after  parchments  and  manu- 
scripts inscribed  with  the  writings  of  Aristotle  and 
Plato,  and  of  all  the  chief  philosophers  of  the  West, 
they  were  not  indifferent  to  the  medical  science 
of  their  conquerors.  Their  knowledge  of  medicine 
and  chemistry  had  placed  the  Saracens  at  the  head 
of  European  professors  of  those  sciences. 

Even  Spanish  pride  would  yield  when  there  was 
a  question  of  the  treatment  of  wounds,  or  the 
alleviation  of  fevers.  Many  of  the  drugs  and  pre- 
parations, which  are  still  used  in  Europe,  have 
Arabic  names,  and  were  first  prescribed  by  Saracen 
Leeches. 

"  Ex  oriente  Lux  "  may  emphatically  be  applied 
to  the  Moors.  Upon  what  department  of  Science 
and  Art  did  that  strange  people  not  shed  light,  when 
Europe  was  labouring  along  in  that  Slough  of 
Despond  which  we  term  the  "Dark  Ages"? 


■< 

o 

3 
o 
O 


= 


o 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  55 

Their  proficiency  in  the  arts  of  agriculture,  horti- 
culture and  irrigation  still  awaken  our  surprise  and 
admiration.  They  made  the  desert  blossom  like 
the  rose.  Even  now  the  luxuriance  and  verdure  of 
the  far-famed  Vega  of  Granada, — the  synonyme 
of  plenty  and  prosperity, — remain  as  an  enduring 
monument  to  the  skill  and  foresight  of  the  vanished 
Race.  In  architecture,  religious  and  domestic,  they 
originated  another  style  which,  in  fascination  at 
least,  excels  all  other  Orders.  No  building  in 
Europe  surpasses  the  Cordova  Mosque. 

The  Alhambra, — of  which  the  name  alone  con- 
jures up  a  vision  of  gorgeous  yet  harmonious 
ornamentation,  combined  with  a  mathematical 
precision  of  construction, — has  had  no  rival  in  the 
world. 

And  here  we  may  thank  the  Saracen  for  his  term 
of  "arabesque." 

Chivalry,  too,  the  "generous  loyalty  to  rank  and 
sex — the  nurse  of  manly  sentiment  and  heroic  enter- 
prise,"— is  declared  to  be  the  discovery  of  the 
Crusaders.  It  was  discovered  by  them,  for  they 
found  it  already  existent  in  that  Land  of  Saladin — 
which  they  over-ran  for  a  brief  period. 

The  Saracens  have  been  justly  belaboured  for  the 
fanatical  cruelties  perpetrated  by  the  earlier  Caliphs 
in  the  propagation  of  Islam.  But  the  excesses  of 
their  blood-stained  youth  must  not  cause  us  to  close 
our  eyes  to  the  serener  greatness  of  their  maturer 
years. 

In  this  rdsumd  oi  the  substantial  benefits  conferred 
by  the  Moors  upon  Spain,   enough  has  been  said 


56  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

to  convince  the  reader  that  their  regime  was  not  so 
ephemeral  as  has  often  been  imagined,  and  it  will, 
perhaps,  encourage  him  to  follow  up  his  researches 
in  Moorish  Spain.  In  Andalucia  and  Granada  the 
Moorish  spell  is  very  potent  still.  In  cities  such  as 
Cordova,  Toledo,  Seville,  and  above  all  Granada, 
the  complete  Exodus  of  the  old  conquerors  is  not 
easily  realised.  What  Granada  was, — what  it  is 
still, — the  eloquent  words  of  Washington  Irving,  in 
his  History  of  the  "Conquest  of  Granada,"  well 
summarise. 

"The  renowned  Kingdom  of  Granada,  was 
situate  in  the  southern  part  of  Spain,  bordering 
on  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  defended  on  the 
land-side  by  lofty  and  rugged  mountains,  locking- 
up  within  their  embraces  deep,  rich,  and  verdant 
valleys,  where  the  sterility  of  the  surrounding 
heights  was  repaid  by  prodigal  fertility.  The  city 
of  Granada  lay  in  the  centre  of  the  Kingdom, 
sheltered,  as  it  were,  in  the  lap  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  or  chain  of  snowy  Mountains.  It  covered 
two  lofty  hills,  and  a  deep  valley  which  divides 
them,  through  which  flows  the  River  Darro.  One 
of  these  hills  was  crowned  by  the  royal  palace  and 
fortress  of  the  Alhambra,  capable  of  containing  forty 
thousand  men  within  its  walls  and  towers.  Never 
was  there  an  edifice  accomplished  in  a  superior 
style  of  barbaric  magnificence  :  the  stranger  who, 
even  at  the  present  day,  wanders  amongst  its  silent 
and  deserted  courts  and  ruined  halls,  gazes  with 
astonishment  at  its  gilded  and  fretted  domes  and 
luxurious  decorations,  still  retaining  their  brilliancy 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  57 

and  beauty  in  defiance  of  the  ravages  of  time. 
Opposite  to  the  hill,  on  which  stood  the  Alhambra, 
was  its  rival  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which  was  a 
spacious  plain  covered  with  houses  and  crowded 
with  inhabitants.  The  declivities  and  skirts  of  the 
two  hills  were  covered  with  houses  to  the  number  of 
seventy  thousand,  separated  by  narrow  streets  and 
small  squares  according  to  the  custom  of  Moorish 
cities.  The  houses  and  interior  courts  and  gardens, 
refreshed  by  fountains  and  running  streams,  and  set 
out  with  oranges,  citrons,  and  pomegranates.  So 
that,  as  the  edifices  of  the  city  rose  above  each 
other  on  the  sides  of  the  hill,  they  presented  a 
mingled  appearance  of  city  and  grove  delightful  to 
the  eye.  The  whole  was  surrounded  by  high  walls, 
three  leagues  in  circuit,  with  twelve  gates  and 
fortified  by  a  thousand  and  thirty  towers. 

"  The  elevation  of  the  city  and  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  crowned  with  perpetual 
snows,  tempered  the  fervid  rays  of  the  summer  : 
and  thus,  while  other  cities  were  panting  with  the 
sultry  and  stifling  heat  of  the  dog-days,  the  most 
salubrious  breezes  played  through  the  marble  halls 
of  Granada.  The  glory  of  the  city,  however,  was 
its  '  vega,'  or  plain,  which  spread  out  to  a  circum- 
ference of  thirty-seven  leagues,  surrounded  by  lofty 
mountains.  It  was  a  vast  garden  of  delight,  re- 
freshed by  numerous  fountains,  and  by  the  silver 
windings  of  the  Xenil.  The  labour  and  ingenuity 
of  the  Moors  had  diverted  the  waters  of  the  river 
into  thousands  of  rills  and  streams,  and  diffused 
them  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  plain. 


58  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

"  Indeed  they  had  wrought  up  this  happy  region 
to  a  degree  of  wonderful  prosperity,  and  took  a 
pride  in  decorating  it  as  if  it  had  been  a  favourite 
mistress. 

"  The  hills  were  clothed  with  orchards  and  vine- 
yards, the  valleys  embroidered  with  gardens,  and 
the  wide  plains  covered  with  waving  grain.  Here 
were  seen  in  profusion  the  orange,  citron,  fig, 
pomegranate,  with  large  plantations  of  mulberry 
trees,  from  which  was  produced  the  finest  of  silk  " 
(Washington  Irving  has  omitted  to  mention  the 
silk-worms  who  fed  upon  those  trees). 

"  The  vine  clambered  from  tree  to  tree,  the 
grapes  hung  in  rich  clusters  about  the  peasant's 
cottages,  and  the  groves  were  rejoiced  by  the  per- 
petual song  of  the  nightingale.  In  a  word,  so 
beautiful  was  the  earth,  so  pure  the  air,  and  so 
serene  the  sky,  that  the  Moors  imagined  the 
Paradise  of  their  Prophet  to  be  situated  in  that 
part  of  the  heaven  which  overhung  the  Kingdom 
of  Granada." 

Such  were  the  main  features  of  the  enchanting 
region  which  then  passed  into  the  possession  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  What  Kashmir  is  to  the 
burning  plains  of  Hindustan,  that  is  Granada  to 
Spain.  What  Noormabal  had  sung  upon  the  Lake 
of  Kashmir,  the  Moors  had  often  repeated  in 
their  Shalimar.  And  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  too, 
though  not  giving  it  utterance,  may  well  have  felt 
the  sentiment.  The  struggle  had  been  very  long 
and  arduous,  but  the  triumph  had  been  worth  a 
hundred  such  strucm-les. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  59 

And  it  was  not  Granada  only  that  had  fallen  into 
Spanish  hands.  That  conquest  had  completed  the 
capture  of  the  kingdom  of  Andalucia.  "  Los  Coatros 
Reinos  de  Andalucia" — the  four  Kingdoms  of  Seville, 
Cordova,  Jaen  and  Granada.  And  Andalucia  gone, 
meant  that  Spain  was  in  Spanish  hands,  and  that 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  ruled  from  sea  to  sea, — from 
Cadiz  to  Valencia, — and  from  Leon  to  Gibraltar. 
It  was  indeed  a  moment  to  render  dizzy  the  coolest 
of  heads.  It  is  much  in  the  favour  of  the  joint- 
sovereigns  that  they  retained  the  balance  of  their 
souls  and  showed  themselves  calm  and  even  con- 
ciliatory in  the  hour  of  their  triumph. 

The  conditions  of  Surrender  were  even  remarkably 
lenient,  and  ample  time  was  given  to  the  Moors  to 
comply  with  them.  For  the  Sovereigns  did  not 
enter  into  their  new  Capital  (January,  1492)  for  two 
months  after  the  capitulation. 

The  Moors  were  allowed  to  retain  their  pro- 
perty, their  horses  and  arms  (artillery  excepted) : 
they  were  to  be  free  in  the  exercise  of  their 
religion,  and  even  to  be  governed  by  their  own 
laws  under  their  own  Cadis.  They  were  to  be 
exempted  from  payment  of  tribute  for  three  years  : 
and  to  those  who  desired  to  leave  the  country  within 
the  same  period  free  passages,  from  whatever  Port 
they  might  select,  were  to  be  granted. 

Nor  was  it  desired  then  to  get  rid  altogether  of 
the  fallen  people.  To  Boabdil-el-Chico  was  assigned 
a  territory  in  the  Alpuxares  Mountains,  where  he 
could  have  played  with  his  followers  around  him 
with  a  semblance  of  Sovereignty. 


60  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

But  he  found  the  position  an  impossible  one,  and 
soon  elected  to  return  to  the  home  of  his  forefathers 
in  Africa. 

The  leniencyof  the  Spanish  Monarchs, — creditable 
to  them  at  first, — did  not  prevail  very  long.  The 
mania  for  proselytising, — that  ruling  passion  ever 
uppermost  in  the  breasts  of  the  Spanish  Kings, — 
soon  manifested  itself. 

The  bigotry  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  was  more 
than  seconded  by  their  chief  adviser,  Cardinal 
Ximenes, — a  sort  of  Spanish  Wolsey. 

Accordingly  we  find  those  Moors  who  had  been 
promised  free  exercise  of  their  own  religion,  but 
ten  years  before,  now  forced,  often  at  the  sword's 
point,  to  embrace  the  religion  of  their  con- 
querors. And  not  Moors  only  but  Jews.  Thou- 
sands of  both  races  accepted  baptism  to  save  their 
lives. 

Thousands  of  others  fled  to  Africa  to  avoid  it. 
The  cruel  policy  of  persecution,  inaugurated  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  was  fully  developed  by 
their  successors,  until  it  attained  a  climax  of  ferocity 
in  the  reign  of  Philip  III. 

For  under  the  atrocious  edict  of  that  Monarch 
even  Moorish  converts  suffered.  It  was  not  only 
infidelity  that  awoke  Philip's  wrath,  it  was  race- 
hatred. He  expelled  a  million  of  his  subjects  from 
the  Kingdom  only  for  the  crime  of  being  of  Eastern 
blood.  But  even  he  could  not  shut  his  eyes  to  the 
superior  qualities  of  the  Moorish  people,  nor  to  the 
ignorance  of  his  own  :  six  families  were  selected 
from    each    hundred   to    remain    in  the  country  to 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  61 

teach    the    Spaniards    the    arts    of    their    whilom 
Conquerors. 

Yet  if  "  Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  than 
War,"  even  in  that  hour  of  ruthless  and  insensate 
barbarism,  the  Moors  remained  the  Victors. 


CHAPTER    I 

BARCELONA 

The  Moors — The  Wise  Men  of  the  East — "The  Traveller 
wishes  to  get  upon  their  track  " — A  Spanish  Manchester — 
The  Rambla  a  City-centre — Flower- market — Ethnological 
peculiarities  of  inhabitants  —  Paseo  de  Gracia,  Chief 
Promenade — Hill  of  S.  Pedro  Martir — The  Montagna — 
View  of  Montserrat — The  Game  of  Spanish  Tennis — Com- 
mercial Prosperity  —  Merchant-Princes  —  Their  embellish- 
ment of  the  City — Churches  of  the  ioth  Century — The 
Cathedral — Church  S.  Maria  del  Mar — Mediaeval  Palaces — 
Casa  Consistorial — Casa  de  la  Disputacion — Casa  Lonja — 
Relics  of  Roman  Power. 

I  IMAGINE  that  three-fourths  of  the  travellers 
visiting  Spain  have  the  Moors  uppermost  in 
their  minds,  and  that  their  chief  object  is  to  get 
upon  the  track  of  that  remarkable  Race,  those 
wise  men  from  the  East  who  taught  the  Spaniards 
all  that  they  themselves  knew  in  science,  art  and 
war.  I  fear  that  since  those  far-removed  days  the 
Spaniards  have  not  learned  much  more  ;  have  even 
forgotten  what  they  learnt.  The  traveller  then  will 
not  tarry  long  in  Barcelona,  although  that  celebrated 
city  is  by  no  means  devoid  of  objects  of  interest. 
For  the  commercial  and  mercantile  classes  indeed, 

63 


64  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

if  not  the  only  City  of  the  kind  in  Spain,  it  is 
certainly  the  most  important.  The  numerous  and 
industrious  population  which  throngs  its  factories, 
and  loads  the  steamers  with  their  produce,  not 
unworthy  of  Manchester  itself,  is  proud  to  regard 
the  City  as  the  Spanish  Manchester.  But  you  will 
observe  no  resemblance  in  its  gay  thoroughfares, 
in  its  spacious  and  well-planned  streets,  or  in  its 
tasteful  residences,  to  the  grimy  Capital  of  the 
Midlands.  Barcelona,  historically,  should  be  of 
great  interest  to  British  eyes,  for  it  was  the  scene  of 
one  of  the  many  brilliant  successes  of  that  dashing 
hero,  Lord  Peterborough,  during  the  War  of  the 
Spanish  Succession.  The  Spaniards  are  a  for- 
giving if  not  a  grateful  Race,  so  they  have  doubtless 
forgiven,  and  even  forgotten,  our  abandonment  of 
them  and  the  cause  of  the  Austrian  claimant  to  the 
Spanish  throne. 

Directly  that  you  have  landed,  and  ascended  an 
imposing  flight  of  steps,  whereon  you  will  behold 
a  sufficient  number  of  picturesque  dawdlers  and 
slumberers,  you  find  yourself  confronting  the  great 
Columbus  Statue,  which  terminates  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal thoroughfares  of  the  City.  It  is  called  the 
"  Rambla,"  and  is  one  of  the  chief  resorts  of 
flaneurs  and  pedestrians,  and  the  site  of  some 
of  the  best  hotels  and  buildings  of  the  City. 
You  will  be  reminded  much  of  the  Unter  den 
Linden  of  Berlin.  Here  is  a  collection  of  flower- 
stalls,  which  in  the  spring  or  summer  quite  dazzles 
the  eyes.  Nowhere  in  the  world  will  you  see  such 
a  blaze  of  colour,  such  banks  of  roses  and.  carnations 


BARCELONA  65 

of  all  hues  and  sizes,  and  in  such  quantities,  as 
must  be  far  in  excess  of  the  needs  of  even  this 
large  City.  All  this  colour  is  very  grateful  to  you, 
for  with  the  exception  of  these  profusely  poured  out 
cornucopias  and  the  gaily  ornamented  houses,  you 
will  not  meet  with  much  that  is  cheerful  in  the 
appearance  and  demeanour  of  the  inhabitants. 
Indeed,  for  gravity  of  carriage,  absence  of  comeli- 
ness in  both  sexes,  and  sadness  of  attire,  I  should 
award  to  the  Spaniards  of  Barcelona,  at  least,  the 
first  place  amongst  all  the  nations  with  whom  I 
have  any  acquaintance  at  all.  A  small  race 
generally,  of  very  serious,  if  not  sad  aspect,  with 
small,  cheerless  eyes,  and  of  complexion  yellow 
rather  than  sallow.  The  mouth  is  the  characteristic 
feature,  and  of  a  type  cruelly  persistent  throughout 
Spain.  Not  good-natured  mouths,  with  pinched 
cautious  lips,  ever  upon  their  guard.  From  such 
lips  you  are  like  to  get  but  scant  information,  and 
no  one,  I  think,  much  love.  They  sigh,  if  they  stop 
to  put  questions  one  to  the  other,  as  though  they 
were  being  asked  tiresome  and  stale  conundrums. 
And  if  their  pinched  lips  should  break  into  a  smile, 
they  are  rapidly  pulled  back  into  their  former  shape, 
as  though  they  were  reproving  themselves  for 
conduct  so  derogatory  to  nature's  own  caballeros. 
Saving    your    presence,    there    is    a    serene    "  Be 

d dedness  "  in  their  bearing,  quite  sui  generis. 

Therefore,  (and  it  has  its  saving  virtue,)  vulgar 
chaff,  giggling,  and  pushing,  are  unknown  to  these 
impassive  caballeros.  You  do  not  meet  with  many 
of  very  dark  hair,   colouring  and   eyes.     You  will 

5 


66  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

see  far  more  of  that  type  in  Italy,  and  in  Southern 
France.  Here,  the  character  of  face  and  colouring 
is  almost  Eastern.  Not  Moorish,  however,  but, 
oddly  enough,  something  of  a  Siamese  flavour 
about  them.  You  could  not  for  an  instant  mistake 
these  insouciant  pedestrians  for  Italians  or  French- 
men. I  try  to  satisfy  myself  where,  ethnologically, 
I  should  place  this  Race,  so  different  in  appear- 
ance from  any  other.  Despite  the  long  Roman 
regime,  there  is  nothing  Roman  about  them. 
What  the  Visigoths  may  have  been  like  it  is 
not  easy  to  pronounce.  Could  one  be  justified 
in  ascribing  their  unique  plainness  to  the  Cartha- 
ginians ?  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  Hannibals, 
the  Hasdrubals,  the  Hamilcars,  were  just  such  men 
as  you  may  see  here,  promenading  in  the  Rambla. 
If  the  noblest  study  of  mankind  be  Man,  (and 
certainly  the  most  interesting  one,)  an  hour  passed 
upon  a  seat  here  will  certainly  not  be  misspent. 
The  "  Rambla,"  though  always  thronged  by  pedes- 
trians, and  at  times  by  carriages,  has  been  superseded 
of  late  years  by  the  great  Paseo  de  Gracia  which 
extends  through  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  city 
skirting  the  suburbs,  as  far  as  the  "  Gracias."  It  is 
quite  double  the  width  of  the  Rambla  and  has  two 
avenues  of  trees,  and  is  immeasurably  longer  than 
the  old  promenade.  Here,  at  evening,  you  will  see 
all  that  is  gay  and  fashionable  in  Barcelona, — in 
smart  carriages,  or  upon  horseback.  And  upon 
either  side  of  the  drive,  immense  and  luxurious 
cafes  thronged  by  idlers.  You  may  prolong  your 
drive    indefinitely,    skirting    charming    villas,    and 


*■  A* 


BARCELONA  67 

country  houses,  all  boasting  beautiful  gardens,  until 
you  come  to  the  hills  of  S.  Pedro  Martir.  A  fine 
carriage-drive  has  been  made  beyond,  and  you 
ascend  what  is  generally  and  almost  affectionately 
known  as  the  "  Montagna."  The  views,  as  you 
continue  the  ascent  of  wooded  hills,  of  the  great 
city,  and  of  the  sea  beyond,  are  very  fine.  There 
is  a  big  Hotel,  (some  seven  miles  from  Barcelona) 
situated  in  the  midst  of  beautiful  scenery,  which  you 
must  visit  in  order  to  gaze  at  the  splendid  mountain 
of  Montserrat.  ^  h  U 

Every  one  has  heard  of  the  Monastery  there, 
famous  for  Ignatius  Loyola's  dedication  of  himself 
to  the  Church.  But  whether  you  go  there,  or  not, 
you  must  look  at  the  mountain,  which  is  one  of  the 
most  splendid  shapes  of  all  hills  in  the  world. 
Whatever  hue  it  assumes,  it  is  sublime  in  colour,  as 
it  is  in  mass,  and  fantastic  in  its  details  of  serrated 
peak  and  crag.  It  is  a  vision  of  those  "  gorgeous 
palaces  and  cloud-capped  towers,"  of  which  Prospero 
spoke.  Were  it  not  so  substantial,  it  would  resemble 
nothing  so  much  as  one  of  those  huge  masses  of 
cloud,  which  upon  a  summer's  day  overspread  the 
heavens,  and  wherein  you  can  figure  to  yourself  the 
phantom  shapes  of  gods,  and  heroes,  or  the  serried 
masses  of  contending  hosts  of  celestial  armies. 
Should  your  tastes  urge  you  in  that  direction,  you 
will  have  many  opportunities  at  Barcelona  of 
witnessing  bull-fights,  (the  "ungentle  sport"  of 
Byron) — even  female  ones  !  Not  wishing  to  attend 
one  myself,  I  excused  myself  to  a  Spanish  friend, 
upon    the    honest    grounds    of    detesting    cruelty 


68  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

to  animals  in  any  form.  He  replied  :  "  My 
objection  lies  rather  in  the  stupidity  of  the 
show." 

Thereupon  he  took  me  off  to  quite  another  form 
of  amusement,  and  one  which  I  shall  always  re- 
member, Spanish  Tennis.  It  is  in  the  vernacular 
called  "Juega  de  Pelota  a  cesta";  i.e.,  game  of 
ball  with  basket. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  commercial  prosperity  of 
Barcelona,  it  is  said  that  out  of  a  population  of 
some  500,000,  100,000  are  employed  in  spinning 
and  weaving.  There  are  some  4,000  factories  and 
workshops,  100  soap  factories,  and  200  tanneries. 
It  need  not  be  inferred  from  these  figures  that 
Barcelona  owes  her  phenomenal  wealth  to  any 
sudden  and  feverish  demands  for  her  productions. 
She  has,  from  the  earliest  times,  enjoyed  a  repu- 
tation for  commercial  enterprise.  Like  Genoa  in 
old  days,  her  unique  maritime  position  has  always 
given  opportunities  of  acquiring  wealth.  There 
are  those  who  trace  her  name  to  that  of  "  Barca," — 
Hamilcar  Barca,  the  Carthaginian.  The  subsequent 
rise  of  Tarragona,  under  the  Romans,  somewhat 
eclipsed  for  a  time  her  pride  of  place,  but  the 
destruction  of  Tarragona  by  the  Moors  was  the 
means  of  restoring  to  her  the  commercial  supremacy 
which  she  has  ever  since  maintained.  Her  pros- 
perity, indeed,  has  been  in  such  marked  contrast  to 
the  rest  of  Spain,  that  her  dream  has  always  been 
to  cut  herself  adrift  from  that  much-suffering  land. 
Catalonia  has  always  sighed,  and  is  still  sighing  for 
independence.     "  We  are  Catalonians,  we  are  not 


BARCELONA  69 

Spaniards,"   is  the  cry  ever   upon    her  lips.     The 
wealth  that  Barcelona  has  so  honourably  acquired, 
has    been    for   the    most   part    nobly    spent.     The 
generosity  and  taste  of  her  merchant  princes  have 
been    manifested    in    the    erection    of    charitable 
institutions,   and    hospitals,  as  well   as   in   the  en- 
couragement of  art  and  science,  and  in  the  embel- 
lishment of  the  City  and  the  environs.     The  laying 
out  of  fine  parks  and  beautiful  gardens  are  amongst 
the  undertakings  fostered  and  encouraged  by  the 
enterprise  of  private  citizens.     Catalonia  can  boast 
of  great  artists,  and  amongst  the  foremost  names  is 
that   of  Antonio    Viladomnat,    born   at    Barcelona 
1678,    and    that    of    Fortuny.       A    few    walks    in 
Barcelona  will  suffice  to  prove  that  Barcelona  is  no 
mere    mushroom    commercial    city.     You    will    see 
several  fine  mediaeval  palaces,  three  or  four  of  them 
dating   as    far   back   as    the    14th    Century.     The 
Casa    Consistorial,  for   example ;   the    Casa    de    la 
Disputacion   (Parliament   House)   which  face   each 
other,  and  the  "  Casa  Lonja  "  (Exchange).     These 
are  all  extremely  picturesque.     Some  small  relics  of 
the  Roman  epoch  are  elsewhere  to  be  seen,  in  the 
way  of  columns,  sarcophagi,  and  in  the  remains  of 
an    aqueduct.      It    is    unusual    to    find    in    Europe 
churches  of  the  10th  Century.     There  are  two  here, 
viz.,  San  Pablo  del  Campo,  and  San  Pedros  de  Las 
Puellas.     But  save  as  landmarks  of  Christianity,  in 
an  age  when  the  greater  part  of  Spain  was  overrun 
by  Pagans,  they  possess  little  of  interest  now.     For 
those  who  have  already  visited  the  great  cathedrals 
of  Spain,   Toledo,   Seville,    Granada,    Burgos,   and 


r 


70  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

others,  the  cathedral  of  Barcelona  may  appear 
inferior.  Certainly  in  the  more  than  dim  religious 
twilight  which  prevails  throughout  the  building, 
you  are,  at  first,  conscious  of  nothing,  save  that  you 
are  standing  in  a  church  of  vast  proportions  and  of 
majestic  height.  Gradually,  as  your  sense  of  vision 
adapts  itself  to  the  solemn  obscurity,  you  become 
aware  that  the  Coro,  in  compliance  with  the  almost 
universal  custom  throughout  Spain,  is  placed  some- 
where about  the  centre  of  the  nave.  You  perceive 
later  that  the  lofty  painted  windows  are  enriched 
with  glass  of  the  finest  antique  period.  The  Coro 
is  historically  famous  for  an  installation  of  the 
"  Golden  Fleece  "  held  here  by  Charles  V.  It  was 
the  solitary  celebration  of  the  kind  ever  held  in 
Spain,  up  to  recent  times  at  least.  Upon  one  of 
the  stalls  are  emblazoned  the  arms  of  the  English 
Henry  VIII.  The  Cathedral  is  of  the  14th 
Century,  and  it  possesses  one  architectural  pecu- 
liarity which  is  interesting.  The  great  buttresses, 
by  which  the  thrust  of  the  vaults  are  met,  are 
brought  inside,  and  are  made  to  serve  as  division 
walls  between  the  side  chapels. 

Nor  should  the  other  great  Church  of  Barcelona, 
known  as  "  Santa  Maria  del  Mar,"  be  overlooked. 
It  is  of  the  same  epoch  as  the  Cathedral,  and,  there- 
fore, must  have  taken  its  name  from  the  old  Chapel 
of  the  Goths  which  it  replaced.  That  may  have 
been  washed  by  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  if  so, 
what  an  antiquity  it  must  have  claimed  !  "  There 
where  the  long  street  roars,  hath  been  the  stillness 
of  the  central  sea !  " 


BARCELONA  71 

The  Church  is  of  vast  size,  and  much  resembles 
in  construction  the  Cathedral.  After  havinsf  seen 
the  beautiful  painted  windows  of  the  Cathedral,  you 
will  not  be  able  to  admire  the  glass  here.  All  is 
modern,   I  think,  though  some  is  good. 


CHAPTER    II 

MADRID 

An  attractive  City — Puerta  del  Sol,  much  the  reverse,  and 
a  "  Pandemonium  " — Avoid  Hotel  de  la  Paix — Pleasing 
change  to  the  Hotel  de  Rome — Royal  Palace — The  Plaza 
thereof — Guard-mounting — The  Armoury — Historical  memo- 
ries and  records — The  Accademia  de  San  Fernando — "The 
Junta  in  Session" — The  three  great  Murillos — Obstacles  and 
Hindrances  to  studying  them — Other  Pictures  here. 

MADRID,  after  Barcelona,  will  be  found  a 
notable  change.  The  latter  city  is  in  all 
respects  Spanish,  or  rather  in  deference  to  the 
prejudices  of  the  inhabitants,  Catalonian.  Madrid 
might  be,  excepting  in  the  physical  aspect  of  the 
people,  which  is  purely  Spanish,  a  portion  of  Paris. 
The  City  and  the  environs  thereof  have  been  so 
much  disparaged  by  guide-books,  and  by  those  who 
follow  suit,  that  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
Madrid  one  of  the  gayest  and  prettiest  capitals  with 
which  I  have  become  acquainted.  It  is  distinctly 
modern,  it  is  true,  but  it  has  not  claimed  to  be 
otherwise.  It  possesses  all  the  attractions  of  a  fine 
Capital  in  excessively  broad  thoroughfares,  beautiful 
and   stately   buildings,    public    and   private,    smart 

72 


MADRID  73 

shops,  and  delightful  parks  and  gardens.  The 
streets  and  boulevards  are  clean,  and  well  looked 
after,  and  are  in  general  thronged  by  smart  and 
well-turned-out  carriages,  and  by  pedestrians  as 
well-clad,  and  as  orderly  and  self-respecting  as  any 
you  will  see  in  Europe.  I  should  not  consider 
myself  as  despitefully  used  were  I  sentenced  to  take 
up  my  abode  in  this  bright  and  cheerful  town.  It 
is  true  that  I  was  here  in  May,  and  it  is  possible 
that  in  the  winter,  were  snow  lying  upon  the  streets, 
and  if  keen  blasts  from  the  Guadarrama  pursued  my 
footsteps,  along  the  great  broad  thoroughfares,  a 
counterblast  would  be  forthcoming  to  anathematise 
the  climate. 

The  one  spot  of  the  City  which  not  to  visit  once, 
were  to  manifest  an  indifference  to  the  most  his- 
torical, most  frequented,  and  most  often  referred  to 
of  all  places  in  Madrid,  is  also  the  most  vulgar, 
noisy  and  antipathetic. 

The  reader  has  already  anticipated  me  when  he 
says,  "  Of  course  the  Puerta  del  Sol!"  The  sight- 
seer must  inevitably,  in  the  course  of  his  pere- 
grinations, stumble  upon  this  centre,  for  here  almost 
half  of  the  streets  converge.  Here  all  the  tram- 
cars  and  public  vehicles,  and  all  the  idlers,  and 
loiterers,  and  unoccupied  of  both  sexes,  pour  in 
from  morn  to  midnight.  Here,  bes^ars  and 
hawkers,  and  pedlars,  vendors  of  latest  editions, 
lucifer-matches,  sweets,  fruits,  old  umbrellas,  straw- 
hats,  cigarettes,  socks,  needles,  walking-sticks,  and 
of  all  rubbish  unneeded,  and  unclean,  unite  to  make 
a  pandemonium  of  deafening  cries  and  of  not  over 


74  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

odorous  smells.  It  is  as  much  as  your  life  is  worth 
to  thread  your  way  across  the  Plaza,  amongst 
opposing  currents  of  tramcars  and  omnibuses.  It 
is  as  much  as  your  pocket  is  worth  to  tarry,  and 
survey  the  seething  multitude.  Indeed  there  is  no 
temptation  to  tarry,  except  to  find  means  of  extri- 
cating yourself  from  the  swarm.  There  are  no 
picturesque  shapes  to  gaze  upon,  no  costume  to 
admire.  So  far  as  apparel  goes,  you  will  see 
nothing  more  gay  than  you  have  seen  in  the  Piazza 
del  Duomo,  at  Milan,  or  in  the  Piazza  Colonna  at 
Rome,  or  in  the  Piazza  S.  Ferdinando  at  Naples. 
And  that  means  that  the  crowd  is  clad  in  the  most 
familiar  costermonger  type.  Just  such  as  you  may 
see  in  Trafalgar  Square,  or  in  St.  James's  Park, 
or  wherever  else  the  lowest  class  of  European 
humanity  resorts.  The  writer,  not  having  suffi- 
ciently instructed  himself  in  these  aspects  of  the 
Puerta  del  Sol,  was  ill-advised  enough  to  pitch  upon 
this  site  for  his  Hotel,  the  Hotel  de  la  Paix  (Pay?). 
Thence,  he,  upon  the  morrow  incontinently  fled,  and 
to  the  Hotel  de  Rome,  situated  in  the  cheerful  and 
not  ill-named  "  de  Los  Caballeros."  That  he  found 
to  be  in  all  respects  a  most  agreeable  and  econo- 
mical abode.  So  that,  if  these  pages  may  so 
far  weigh  with  the  traveller  as  to  induce  him  to 
shun  the  Place  of  Fearful  Noises,  and  to  avoid 
the    meaningless    and    ceaseless    clamour    of    the 

o 

Hotel  de  Paris,  and  the  cool  extortions  of  the 
Hotel  de  la  Paix,  the  writer  will  not  have  written 
in  vain. 

The    Royal    Palace,    built    by    Philip   V,    (after 


MADRID  75 

the  conflagration  of  1734  had  destroyed  the  old 
Palace,)  occupies  nearly  the  western  extremity  of 
Madrid.  For  beyond  this  point  there  are  but  few 
buildings,  and  those  Barracks,  or  the  Northern 
Railway  Station.  It  commands  fine  and  varied 
views  upon  the  Western  and  Southern  sides,  of 
gardens  and  woods.  The  much  descried  river 
Manzanares  flows  beneath,  and  beyond  its  bosky 
banks  and  woods  an  undulating  landscape  is 
backed  by  the  mountains  of  the  Sierra  Guadarrama. 
So  that,  when  you  gaze  from  the  Palace  at  least, 
Madrid  does  not  seem  to  be  quite  the  featureless, 
waterless,  grim  monotony  as  generally  described. 
The  Building  is  vast  and  even  stately,  but,  externally, 
does  not  possess  architectural  merits  greater  than 
those  of  most  Royal  Palaces  in  Europe.  It  is  worth 
while  coming  to  the  large  Plaza,  or  Palace  Court- 
yard,  to  see  the  Guard-mounting  one  morning.  The 
singularly  brilliant  uniforms  of  the  soldiers,  whether 
of  the  Cavalry  or  Artillery  or  Infantry,  render  the 
spectacle  very  gay  and  animated.  I  imagine, 
however,  that  it  will  be  neither  to  see  the  Palace 
itself,  nor  the  ceremony  of  Guard-mounting,  that 
will  bring  the  visitor  here.  His  first  visit  at  least, 
will  be  to  the  world-famous  Armoury.  That  un- 
equalled collection  will  be  found  at  the  Eastern 
Extremity  of  the  Colonnade,  which  surrounds  the 
Plaza  del  Palacio.  This  saloon,  227  feet  long,  is 
said  to  be  the  only  portion  of  the  old  Alcazar  which 
occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Palace.  There  is 
but  one  step  from  the  outer  air  and  the  threshold  of 
this  Hall  of  Enchantment.     There  is  but  one  step, 


76  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

it  seems,  between  the  prosaic  and  the  romantic,  and 
as  you  put  down  your  foot  you  have  entered  into 
the  "  Land  of  Dreams."  Has  some  necromancer, 
such  as  old  Michael  Scott,  just  waved  his  wand 
and  summoned  from  their  sepulchres  those  ranks  of 
dead  Monarchs  and  Princes,  and  even  Queens,  of 
Bishops,  and  Discoverers  of  new  Worlds,  and  Con- 
querors, and  great  Captains.  All  warriors,  all,  for 
they  are  clad  in  armour,  and  with  vizored  helmets, 
as  they  lived  and  fought.  It  is  an  incarnate  poem 
of  another  Wizard,  another  Scott — Walter  Scott. 
Thus  you  have  entered  into  the  Spanish  Walhalla. 
These  be  the  Demi-Gods  of  the  Spanish  Race. 
Their  Princes  and  Kings  (or  "  Koning  "-men  as 
Carlyle  will  have  it,  and  most  cunning  ones, — those 
Kings  of  craft  and  fraud)  to  whom  in  life  their 
subjects  and  their  countrymen  slavishly  bowed  down. 
Men  of  iron  will,  and  brazen  impudence,  mostly 
with  feet  of  clay  !  What  phalanxes  of  panoplied 
warriors  on  horse  or  afoot !  Life-size  all  of  them, 
with  features  carved  and  copied  from  the  most 
authentic  pictures.  With  stony  gaze,  but,  per- 
chance, not  stonier  than  when  in  life,  some  of  them, 
fixed  with  icy  glare,  both  foe  and  friend.  The 
colour  is  bright  upon  their  cheeks,  brighter  much 
than  in  life,  and  upon  their  lips,  too  persistently 
hereditary  as  they  were,  those  malformed  swollen 
lips,  as  though  they  had  grown  so  by  sucking  the 
life-blood  out  of  their  fellow-Christians'  veins.  See, 
there,  upon  armour-clad  black  horse,  Charles-Caesar, 
as  they,  his  subjects  and  flatterers,  called  him, 
(others    Charles    "  le    Triche,")   the    man     himself, 


MADRID  77 

arrayed  in  the  very  armour  and  casque,  which  he 
wore  upon  that  day,  of  one  of  his  many  triumphs, 
Miihlberg,  and  with  his  lance  in  rest,  just  as  he 
harried  the  Protestants,  and  John  the  Elector  who 
commanded  them.  The  man  himself,  just  as  you 
see  him  in  Titian's  still  glorious  masterpiece  in  the 
Museo.  Every  other  suit  of  armour  or  weapon 
here,  defensive,  or  offensive,  seems  to  have 
belonged  to  Charles ;  and  what  wondrous  suits ! 
Damascened,  gold-inlaid,  arabesqued,  repousees.  . 
There  can  be  no  more  splendid  examples  of  the 
armourer's  craft  (Italian  and  German  chiefly)  to  be 
seen  in  Europe.  Not  far  from  Charles,  you  will  see 
his  captive,  (but  not  his  prisoner,)  the  Elector  John, 
(for  one  of  his  Generals  was  the  actual  captor,  upon 
that  day  of  Miihlberg,  1547).  There,  glorious  in 
armour,  which  he  seldom  used,  is  Philip  II,  a 
name  fraught  with  interest  for  the  English.  A 
man  without  genius,  without  talent,  without  heart. 
Merciless,  bigoted,  most  "Catholic,"  most  sensual, 
most  cruel.  Not  incapable  of  merriment  at  times, 
(unlike  his  successor,)  and  at  the  announcement  of 
the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  roared  with 
laughter,  and  incontinently,  despatched  off  6,000 
crowns  to  the  assassin  of  Coligny.  And  he  was 
not  a  wealthy  or  a  generous  sovereign,  as  Don 
John  of  Austria  knew  to  his  own  cost.  There  is 
Isabella  the  Catholic,  in  the  armour  which  she  is 
supposed  to  have  worn  before  Granada  and  the 
other  Moorish  towns,  captured  in  the  later  years  of 
the  15th  Century.  Others  say  that,  the  monogram 
"  Isabel  "  worked  upon  the  vizor  refers  to  another 


78  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Isabel,  daughter  of  Philip  II,  and  Regent  of 
Flanders,  and  that  her  husband  wore  it.  Isabel 
"  The  Catholic  "  possessed  some  fine  qualities,  and 
knew  how  to  be  merciful  at  times,  even  to  the 
Moors,  and  gained  some  of  their  hearts  even.  Had 
she  not  fallen  under  the  accursed  influence  of 
Torquemada  and  his  Inquisition,  she  might  even 
have  been  called  "  Great."  But  unblemished 
greatness  was  not  to  be  found  amongst  the 
monarchs  of  Spain.  There  stands  the  splendid 
effigy  of  the  only  monarch  amongst  them  that  can 
be  said  to  have  a  claim  to  true  greatness,  "  Saint" 
Ferdinand.  He  captured  Seville,  and  Cordova  from 
the  Moors,  but  was  clement,  and  generous  towards 
them.  He  made  a  sacred  vow  and  kept  it,  which 
is  a  rare  thing  in  the  annals  of  Spanish  monarchs, 
that  he  would  never  draw  his  sword  against  those 
that  held  the  faith  of  Christ.  Would  that  some  of 
his  successors  had  been  equally  magnanimous ! 
He  was  canonised  by  Clement  IX,  in  compliance 
with  the  wishes  of  Philip  IV.  He  was  grandfather 
of  our  Queen  Eleanor,  who  inherited  his  virtues. 
The  effigy  here  owes  what  resemblance  it  may  bear 
to  him,  to  a  portrait  at  Seville.  Certainly  not  the 
one  in  the  Madrid  Museo,  for  that  appears  to  be 
by  Murillo,  who  lived  some  four  hundred  years 
later.  There  stands  another  effigy  of  Philip  II, 
wearing  the  identical  armour  as  in  one  of  the 
pictures  of  him  by  Titian  in  the  Madrid  Museo. 
What  graceful  elegance  in  those  rows  of  young 
princes !  all  so  slim  and  boyish  in  their  beautiful 
suits   of   full    armour,  one    of    the    young  -  wearers 


MADRID  79 

being  Philip  III,  and  given  to  him  by  the  Duque 
de  Ossuna  of  that  day.  Philip  III.  was  one  of  the 
worst  of  the  Spanish  line.  He  is  reported  to  have 
smiled  but  three  times  in  his  life,  one  of  those 
occasions,  doubtless,  was  when  he  committed  one 
of  the  most  hideous  crimes  in  modern  history,  the 
abominable  expulsion  of  the  Moors  from  Spain  in 
1609.  The  uprooting  and  dispersion  of  an  entire 
race  !  Such  a  colossal  piece  of  iniquity  set  in 
motion  by  the  agency  of  one  man  has  never  been 
equalled.  And  the  folly  was  as  immense  as  the 
crime.  Spain  has  never  since  regained  the  fruitful- 
ness,  the  fertility  of  her  lands.  She  owed  them  to 
the  Moors.  Her  barrenness  since  has  been  her 
curse.  You  might  spend  days  here  amongst  these 
avenues  of  armed  men  and  armour,  and  teach  your- 
self the  history  of  Spain,  of  her  rise  and  her  decline 
and  fall.  There  stands  Hernan  Cortez,  one  of 
her  greatest  sons,  and  there,  likewise  in  the  same 
suit  of  full  armour  which  he  wore  at  his  victory  of 
Lepanto,  stands  Don  John  of  Austria. 1  There  was 
a  man  whose  too  early  death  cut  off  the  ripening  of 
the  great  qualities  of  which  he  had  already  given 
many  a  proof.  It  is  always  to  be  regretted  that  he 
was  not  the  legitimate  son   of  Charles   V.     What 


1  Don  John  has  an  additional  interest  for  Englishmen  in  that 
Queen  Elizabeth  desired  to  entangle  him  in  one  of  her  very 
numerous  flirtations.  She  did  not  find  him  at  all  responsive  to 
her  "  maiden-meditations."  He  expressed  himself  very  vigorously 
to  Philip,  his  brother,  upon  the  subject,  and  upon  the  damaged 
character  which  he  considered  that  the  "  Imperial  votaress  "  had 
acquired  in  the  eyes  of  Europe. 


80  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

misery  and  suffering  might  not  Spain  and  the 
Netherlands  have  been  spared.  Near  him  is  another 
great  man,  Columbus,  in  armour,  black  and  white. 
He  is  one  of  the  glories  of  which  Italy  can  boast, 
though  it  was  his  misfortune  to  have  served  Spain 
and  to  break  his  heart  in  her  service.  And  to  how 
many  of  her  own  sons  did  that  occur?  The  "Great 
Captain,"  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova,  for  example,  a 
name  scarcely  less  cherished  by  his  countrymen 
than  that  of  the  national  hero,  the  "  Cid,"  how  were 
his  immense  services  repaid  by  his  master,  Ferdi- 
nand the  "  Catholic  "  ?  As  handsome  and  as  brave 
as  Don  John  of  Austria  himself,  his  talents  and  his 
virtues  had  much  impressed  Isabella  "la  Catholica." 
It  was  she  who  induced  her  husband  to  o-ive  him 
the  command  of  the  Spanish  army  in  Italy.  Thence 
he  expelled  the  French,  and  gave  his  master  the 
Crown  of  Naples  in  1503.  For  his  successful 
services  there,  he  received — gratitude, — and  all  sorts 
of  promises  from  Ferdinand,  which  "in  more 
hispanico "  were  unfulfilled.  He  was  therefore 
shelved  at  Loja,  (a  second-rate  town  upon  the  road 
to  Granada,)  and  of  which  he  received  the  thankless 
post  of  Governor.  He  appears  here  four  times, 
clad  in  superb  armour,  and  with  the  sword  with 
which  he  shaped  out  a  kingdom  for  his  perfidious 
sovereign.  The  great  Captain's  motto  :  "  Ingenuity 
surpasses  strength,"  should  have  been  made  over  to 
Ferdinand,  with  the  added  words  :  "of  services." 

The  other  memorable  effigy,  one  of  a  youth 
whose  name  has  excited  far  more  warmth  among 
sympathisers    than    it   deserved,   will    be  -therefore 


MADRID  81 

regarded  with  some  interest.  That  of  the  ill-fated 
son  of  Philip  II,  Don  Carlos.  He  is  superbly  clad 
in  armour,  which  seems  not  to  have  been  worn  so 
constantly  as  it  should  have  been  by  a  Prince,  who 
was  in  the  habit  of  openly  expressing  his  hatred  and 
contempt  for  his  royal  parent. 

He  seems  to  have  been  a  very  malicious,  cruel, 
and  contemptible  youth.  According  to  the  modern 
phrase,  "  quite  impossible."  There  is  no  proof 
whatever  that  he  was  made  away  with  by  any  other 
hand  than  his  own,  and  his  paroxysms  of  outrageous 
temper  render  suicide  as  the  most  likely  explanation 
of  his  death.  And  now,  having  passed  in  private 
review,  in  battle  order,  the  monarchs  and  heroes  that 
have  greatly  striven  upon  historic  fields,  or  that 
have  left  names,  some  of  them  "at  which  the  world 
grew  pale,"  you  thread  your  path,  and  still  with 
bated  breath,  among  ranks  of  lesser  "  light  and 
leading,"  but  as  splendidly  accoutred.  The  Al- 
fonsos,  and  Pedros,  and  earlier  Ferdinands,  Kings 
of  Leon  or  Aragon,  or  Castile,  who  passed  their 
stormy  lives  in  the  harrying  of  the  Pagans,  for  some 
five  hundred  years,  until  their  interminable  Crusades 
culminated  in  the  final  crash  at  Granada.  Here 
most  of  them  are  in  glittering  array.  Brave  in 
morion  and  casque,  with  nodding  plumes,  in  breast- 
plates and  greaves,  and  coats  of  mail,  all  of  splendid 
workmanship  and  of  temper  indestructible.  And 
who  will  be  bold  enough  to  affirm  that  the  day  will 
never  come  when  such  triple  brass  may  again  be 
needed  ?  We  have  had  to  clothe  our  ships  of 
war  in  steel,  we  may  yet  have  to  revive  an  art  that 

0 


82  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

seemed  to  have  had  its  day,  for  the  protection  of 
those  that  man  our  steel-clad  vessels. 

The  walls  of  this  grand  Hall  are  encrusted  with, 
and  ablaze  with  weapons  of  all  kinds  and  sorts,  that 
have  ever  served  for  the  slaughtering-  of  enemies 
public  or  private.  Swords,  poniards,  stilettos, 
daggers,  rapiers,  axes,  maces,  halberts,  spears, 
guns,  muskets,  pistols, — everywhere  gleam  and 
sparkle,  o'er-canopied  by  flags  and  banners,  the 
spoils  of  many  a  long  campaign. 

What  tales  of  blood  ;  what  infamies  of  treacherous 
thrusts  ;  what  agonies  ;  what  massacres, — these 
innumerable  weapons  might  recount !  You  seem 
to  smell  the  blood  which  once  trickled  from  those 
nefarious  blades.  What  trophies  indeed  of  man's 
cruel  hate  to  man  ! 

Amongst  the  most  famous  of  these  weapons,  they 
point  out  to  you,  the  sword, — the  legendary  "  Durin- 
dana,"  of  the  famous  Paladin,  Rolando,  or  Orlando, 
with  which  the  hero  clave  the  Pyrenees.  The 
sword  of  "  Bernardo  del  Carpio,"  a  highly  mythical 
personage,  but  none  the  less  venerated  by  the 
Spaniards.  The  sword  of  St.  Ferdinand,  and  that 
of  Isabella  the  Catholic,  with  a  jewelled  hilt.  The 
sword  of  the  immortal  Cid,  the  hero  of  Valencia, 
whence  he  drove  out  the  Moors.  Then  those  of 
Pizarro,  and  the  famous  Duque  de  Alva.  Here  is 
the  sword  of  "  El  Gran  Capitano,"  one  still  in  use. 
For  so  honoured  it  is,  and  honourable,  that  knight- 
hood is  still  conferred  with  a  touch  of  the  great 
man's  blade. 

Here  also  is  the  halbert  of  Don  Pedro  the  Cruel, 


MADRID  83 

of  Castile,  whose  history  is  so  connected  with  our 
own.  For  the  Black  Prince  fought  for  him,  and 
reinstated  him  upon  the  throne,  after  the  Battle  of 
Navarate.  And  John  of  Gaunt  married  Don 
Pedro's  daughter.  No  one  will  contemplate  without 
interest  the  sword  and  the  helmet  of  Boabdil,  "El 
Zogoybi "  "  The  Unfortunate," — the  last  Monarch  of 
the  Moorish  dynasty.  Who  that  has  perused  the 
touching  history  of  the  last  years  of  Moorish 
dominion,  has  not  felt  disposed  to  shed  a  tear  over 
the  misfortunes  of  that  ill-starred  King  ?  He  whose 
sad  destiny  it  was  to  connect  his  name  for  ever  with 
the  verb  "  to  weep."  Even  upon  the  "  Cuesta  des 
Lagrimas,"  nigh  to  Granada,  where  he  halted  to 
take  one  last,  long,  despairing  look  at  the  proud 
paternal  Towers  of  the  Citadel — Alhambra, — and 
which,  for  six  hundred  years,  had  been  the  home  of 
his  ancestors.  There  is  here  another  sword  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  Granada.  It  is  that  of 
Garcilasso  de  Vega,  who  slew,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
City,  a  Moor  that  had  mocked  at  an  "  Ave  Maria  " 
to  the  Madonna.  You  must  admire  also,  two 
splendid  shields  of  the  finest  repousee  work,  repre- 
senting the  "Rape  of  the  Sabines "  and  "The 
Triumph  of  Love."  You  should  also  visit  the 
trophies  of  the  Battles  of  Pavia  and  Lepanto,  those 
two  victories  which  have  conferred  immortal  fame 
upon  the  Victor,  Charles,  and  his  natural  son, 
Don  John  of  Austria.  Turn  over,  before  you  leave 
this  bewildering  armoury,  a  parchment  book  that 
lies  open  for  inspection.  It  is  the  catalogue  of 
Charles's  armour  and  arms.     Many  of  the  speci- 


84  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

mens  are  illustrated.  Were  it  possible,  how  one 
would  like  to  linger  on  here,  and  to  lie  concealed 
until  nightfall,  when  the  moonbeams  might  be  pour- 
ing in  through  those  huge  high  windows,  and  flood- 
ing with  mysterious  splendours  this  world  of  armed 
monarchs  and  knightly  forms.  What  a  magical 
aspect  this  room  would  then  assume  !  One  of  the 
wizards,  aforesaid,  would  wave  his  wand,  and  would 
call  back  to  life,  and  motion,  these  petrified  lords  of 
the  vanished  Past.  Then,  all  these  cold,  mailed, 
silent  warriors,  on  horse,  or  afoot,  would  stir,  would 
advance,  and  gather  around  the  most  potent  of 
their  race,  even  Caesar-Charles. 

There  would  be  joy,  and  rapture  of  meeting,  and 
warmth,  and  clasp  of  mailed  hands.  But  there 
might  be  also  upbraidings  and  recriminations, 
angry  words,  and  daggers  once  more  drawn. 
Bigots  would  reproach  bigots,  and  hypocrites 
revile  hypocrites.  Better  not  to  await  such  magic 
rites  !  And  now,  as  at  length,  with  aching  eyes 
and  fevered  brow,  you  issue  forth  into  outer  air, 
and  hear  and  see  again  the  common  sights  and 
sounds  that  make  up  daily  existence  in  a  modern 
city,  do  you  not  feel  that  you  have  just  emerged 
from  some  Hall  of  Eblis  ?  That,  by  invisible 
hands,  you  have  been  made  to  traverse  the  grim 
abodes  of  petrified  monarchs  and  warriors  ? 

You  have  been  threading  the  silent  avenues  of 
a  Necropolis,  of  a  splendid  City,  not  quite  of  the 
Dead,  but  rather  one  of  suspended  animation.  You 
have  been  in  the  world  of  Arabian  Nights.  Had 
you  touched  one  of  those  mailed  warriors,  had  you 


MADRID  85 

reached  your  hand  towards  one  of  their  jewelled 
stilettoes,  had  you  grasped  at  one  of  their  shadowy 
crowns,  you  would  surely  have  been  transfixed  by 
the  sudden  thrust  of  a  Charles's  spear,  or  have  been 
crushed  by  the  ponderous  mace  of  an  Alfonso.  So 
rash  you  were  not,  for  your  skin  is  whole  and 
sound.  No !  you  did  but  weep,  (your  eyes  are  yet 
moist)  in  sympathy  with  that  old  Vizier  of  the 
Eastern  tale,  who  stumbled  upon  some  subter- 
ranean City  of  the  Dead,  and  tottering  amongst 
the  superb  ranks  of  Caliphs,  and  Emirs,  and  Knights, 
all  frozen  to  silence,  "  wept  till  he  became  insen- 
sible "  !  Wept  for  the  exceeding  mournfulness  of 
human  destiny  ;  wept  for  the  melancholy  brittle- 
ness  of  human  glory,  and  for  the  endless  unfruit- 
fulness  of  human  endeavour !  Your  dream,  too,  in 
this  enchanted  palace,  has  been  much  of  the  same 
nature,  almost,  indeed,  a  sort  of  gorgeous  night- 
mare. Neither  have  you,  any  more  than  the  Vizier, 
solved  the  riddle  of  Destiny.  Yet  you  feel  your- 
self nearer  to  Wisdom  than  you  were  before  you 
entered. 

The   Sala  des    Sessiones   in    the   Accademia  de 
San  Fernando,    where  are  placed  the  three  finest 
works  of  Murillo,  is  unfortunately  dedicated  to  the 
purposes  of  a  Board,  and  possibly  when  you  visit 
the  Gallery,  you  may  be  informed  by  the  jealous 
janitor  who  stands  guard  over  the  mysterious  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Junta  referred  to,  that  you  cannot 
upon  any  account  be  admitted  until  their  delibera- 
tions are  terminated.      It  will  seem  strange  to  you 
that    world-famous    pictures,    such    as    these,    and 


86  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

annually  visited  by  hundreds,  should  be,  as  it 
were,  mere  parentheses  in  the  pompous  records 
which  these  gentlemen  have  met  to  draw  up.  But 
we  are  in  Spain,  and  that  kind  of  thing  ought  never 
to  surprise  you.  However,  if  you  have  to  wait 
upon  the  pleasure  of  these  potent,  grave,  and 
reverend  Senoros,  you  will  find  in  the  rooms  lead- 
ing to  the  Council-Chamber  some  pictures  quite 
worthy  of  your  attention.  These  are,  two  by 
Antonio  Pereda,  (ob.  1669)  with  which  I  was 
much  taken  ;  one  an  Allegory,— an  Angel  watching 
over  a  sleeping  youth.  Upon  a  table  nigh  to  the 
youth  are  piled  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  goblets 
with  a  mask  and  a  skull.  The  Allegory  is  triteness 
itself,  but  the  picture  is  very  finely  painted,  in  the 
strong  contrasts  of  light  and  shade,  so  much  in 
favour  with  Spanish  Artists.  The  other,  "  Pereda," 
is  of  a  man  in  armour,  kneeling  before  a  skull. 
Zurbaran,  Cafio,  RibeYa,  Morales,  and  some  other 
notable  Spanish  Masters,  are  represented  here. 
There  are  two,  also,  by  Murillo,  of  St.  Francis. 
I  had  at  length  to  represent  to  the  functionary 
aforementioned,  that  I  could  not  leave  the  Gallery 
without  seeing  the  Murillo,  and  that  he  must  get 
the  gentlemen,  who  were  apparently  quite  unneces- 
sarily protracting  their  proceedings,  to  give  me 
permission  to  enter.  I  found  them  sitting  round 
a  table  in  all  possible  Spanish  solemnity,  but  they 
were  courtesy  itself,  and  allowed  me  to  stay  as  long 
as  I  chose.  And  the  three  pictures  are  so  beautiful, 
(Murillo  quite  at  his  best,)  that  no  one  would  choose 
a  short  visit  to  them.     Of  course  they  were  once 


MADRID  87 

carried  off  to  Paris  by  the  irrepressible  Soult. 
They  are  said  to  have  suffered  many  things  from 
over-cleaning  and  over-restoring.  But  the  craft  of 
the  restorer,  or  the  cleaner,  seems  for  once  to  have 
been  most  mercifully  exercised.  I  have  rarely 
seen  pictures  of  the  17th  Century  so  fresh  in 
appearance  and  so  little  injured.  The  "Tinoso," 
that  in  which  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary  is  repre- 
sented as  washing,  or  medicating,  the  head  of  a 
"Tinoso,"  or  "ulcerous  "  beggar,  with  other  mendi- 
cants about  her,  is  a  marvel.  The  face  of  St. 
Elizabeth  is  quite  divinely  beautiful,  with  her 
expression  of  holy  benevolence.  The  beggars  are 
painted  with  startling  force,  and  with  the  realistic 
power  which  so  especially  characterised  Murillo  in 
his  treatment  of  such  subjects.  The  two  other 
pictures  of  Murillo  in  this  room,  represent  the 
famous  legend  of  the  erection  of  the  Church  now 
known  as  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  upon  the  Esqui- 
line  Hill  at  Rome.  In  the  first  of  these  pictures,  a 
Roman  Patrician  of  the  4th  Century  and  his  wife 
are  asleep.  A  book  has  fallen  from  the  hands  of 
the  Senator,  and  no  doubt  his  dream — the  vision  of 
the  Virgin  Mary,  who  is  appearing  to  them, — arises 
from  what  he  had  been  reading.  The  Virgin 
directs  him  and  his  wife, — for  they  had  besought 
her,  not  being  blessed  with  children,  to  point  out 
to  them  how  they  should  dispose  of  their  wealth. 
They  are  told  to  build  a  Church  to  her,  upon  a 
spot  where  a  miraculous  fall  of  snow — (for  it  was 
summer) — should  be  found  upon  the  following  day. 
In  the  second  picture,  the  Roman  couple  are  seen, 


88  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

kneeling  before  Pope  Liberius,  and  narrating  to 
him  what  had  been  divulged  to  them,  on  the  pre- 
vious night.  The  Pope  had,  also,  been  vouchsafed 
a  vision  of  the  same  nature,  and  therefore  has  no 
difficulty  in  pointing  out  to  his  fellow-dreamers  the 
site  of  the  future  Church,  Santa  Maria  della  Neve, — 
as  it  was  first  called.  Nothing  can  exceed  the 
beautiful  simplicity  with  which  Murillo  has  repre- 
sented the  legend.  Both  pictures  show  Murillo  at 
his  best,  and  Murillo  at  his  best  is  very  nigh  per- 
fection. These  pictures  alone  would  have  sufficed 
to  have  placed  him  in  the  first  rank  of  the  greatest. 
Merely  as  a  detail, — but  as  an  instance  of  Murillo's 
extraordinary  bold  and  rapid  touch, — remark  the 
procession  in  the  background,  of  the  Pope  Liberius 
picture,  wending  its  progress  to  the  Esquiline.  At 
this  point  my  jealous  janitor,  who  seems  to  think 
that  I  have  been  making  arrangements  to  pocket 
these  splendid  works  "  in  more,"  Marshal  Soult, 
again  appears  upon  the  scene,  and,  like  the  Ghost 
of  Hamlet's  father,  waves  me  forth. 


CHAPTER    III 

THE    MUSEO    DEL    PRADO 

What  is  to  be  seen  here — Preponderance  of  Velasquez — 
Murillo  and  Ribera —  Quantity,  rather  than  quality  as 
regards  Murillo  —  Zurbaran  —  Other  Spanish  Masters — 
Titian's  preponderance,  a  "revelation"  —  Raphaels — Tin- 
torettos — Paul  Veronese — Astonishing  numbers  of  "  Luca- 
fa-presto,"  and  Rubens — Antonio  Moro — J.  V.  Eyck — 
Beauty  of  Rembrandt's  one  Portrait — Thirty-one  Van- 
dykes—  Two  thousand  works  here — Deficiencies  and 
Absence  of  Florentine  and  Lombard  Artists,  and  of  the 
lesser  Venetians,  and  of  the  Bolognese — Several  Galleries 
more  comprehensive  and  representative  than  the  Prado — 
Many  Pictures  from  the  collection  of  Charles  I — Our  grati- 
tude to  Philip  IV — The  love  of  Art  covers  a  multitude  of 
sins — Titian's  Pictures — Notices  and  comments — Murillo, 
Ribera,  or  Lo  Spagnoletto ;  Rubens — Velasquez — Zurbaran 
—Other  Spanish  "  Lights  "— S.  Coello,  his  Portrait  of  the 
Infanta  Isabel — Anecdote  of  her  and  the  siege  of  Ostend 
— Other  S.  Coellos — Pantoja — Religious  Art  of  Spain  pre- 
viously to  Velasquez — Antonio  Rincon — Moralez — Juanez 
— Absence  of  Spanish  Landscape-painters — Moralez  and 
Juanez  again — Navarate,  "El  Mudo  " — A.  Berrugette — 
Ribalta,  J.  Roelas,  J.  de  Pareja,  A.  di  Cafio — Del  Mazo,  often 
taken  for  Velasquez — Villaviciencio,  Murillo  died  in  his  arms 
— Resemblance  to  his  master — Claudio  Coello,  last  of  the 
great  Painters — Few  of  his  works  here— Carreno  de  Miranda 
— His  Portrait  of  Charles  II  and  his  mother — F.  Rizi 
— His   "  Auto-da-Fe  " — Comments   thereon — Caxes — Goya, 


90  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

"  Ultimus  Romanorum  " — Dutch  and  Flemish  works  here 
— The  otie  Van  Eyck — "  Luca-fa-presto  "  again — Antonio 
Moro  at  his  best  in  Madrid — Anecdote  of  him  and  Philip  II 
— Raphael's  Pictures  here,  "  The  one  great  disappoint- 
ment" — Notices  —  His  "Cardinal  Bibiena,"  the  best — 
Velasquez  purchased  Tintorettos — Notes  on  them — Van- 
dyke's super-eminent  specimens — Paul  Veronese — "  Pieta," 
D.  Crespi — Mantegna — Correggio — G.  B.  Tiepolo  and  his 
son — Paucity  of  Landscapes  by  foreign  Artists  also — Injuries 
to,  destruction,  and  neglect  of  works  of  Art  in  Madrid. 


W 


H ETHER  we  subscribe  or  not,  to  the  rather 
glib  verdict,  that  the  Madrid  Museo  forms 
the  finest  collection  of  pictures  in  Europe,  it  will 
be  as  well  to  ascertain  not  only  what  is  to  be  seen, 
but  what  is  not  to  be  seen  upon  the  walls  of  this 
Gallery. 

That  Velasquez,  so  numerically  strong  here, 
(there  are  three  or  four  apartments  entirely  dedi- 
cated to  his  works)  can  nowhere  else  be  seen  in 
such  plenitude  and  power,  forms  doubtless  the  chief 
attraction  of  this  collection  for  students  and  con- 
noisseurs of  Art.  Sixty-two  of  his  best  pictures  are 
to  be  seen  here.  Of  Murillo,  the  greatest  of  the 
Spanish  Religious  School,  although  there  is  much 
and  notable  work, — (forty-six  pictures  are  here 
assigned  to  him)  the  finest  examples  are  to  be 
seen  elsewhere.  Of  Ribera,  who,  although  he 
passed  most  of  the  years  of  his  life  in  Naples,  was 
one  of  the  foremost  of  Spanish  Artists,  there  are  no 
less  than  fifty-eight  works.  Of  Zurbaran,  whose 
bold  and  vigorous  style,  almost  recalls  Velasquez, 
there  are  fourteen  specimens.  To  the  lesser  lights 
of  the   Spanish  School,  the  Coellos,  the  Pantojas, 


THE  MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  91 

the  Canos,  the  Goyas,   reference  will   be  made  as 
occasion  offers.     That   the  Spanish  School  should 
be  numerically  strong  in  this  Gallery  was  only  to  be 
expected.     But  that   Titian  should  be   represented 
by  nearly  as  many  pictures  as  Murillo,  i.e.,  by  forty- 
three,  was,  to  the  writer  at  least,  a  revelation.     Of 
other  great  Italian   artists,  there  are  ten  Raphaels, 
thirty-three  Tintoretti,  twenty-one  of  Paul  Veronese, 
and    the   astonishing   number  of  fifty-five   by  that 
astonishing   Luca  Giordano,  (Luca-fa-presto).     Of 
the  great   Flemings   there    are    sixty-two  Rubens, 
and  thirteen  by  Antonio  Moro.1     There  is,  further, 
one    splendid    Jean    V.    Eyck,   one  of  the  greatest 
glories  of  the  Gallery.      Rembrandt   is   also  repre- 
sented by  only  one  picture,  but  it  is  one  of  the  very 
greatest  works  that  ever  came  from  the  easel  of  that 
immortal  artist.      It  is  of  a  lady  fair  and  rosy.      I 
think  it  is  a  portrait  of  his  first  wife,  Saskia.    There 
are,  further,  twenty-one  pictures  by  Vandyke,  and 
some  of  them  as  fine  as  anything  he  ever  painted. 
I  think  that  I  have  named  the  chief  artists  that  are 
represented  in  this  Gallery,  and  though  there  are 
upwards  of  two  thousand  works   to  be  seen  here, 
there  are  very  numerous  deficiencies  as  regards  the 
representation    of    other    Schools    of    Art.       The 
Florentine  Schools,  (both  the  Early  and   the   Late 
ones,)    are     scarcely    represented    at    all.       From 
Giotto  X  down    to    Fra   Bartolomeo,  with  all  the 
great  names,  that    may    be    included    within    their 

1  The  number  of  pictures  by  the  different  artists  is  only 
approximate,  for  since  the  catalogue  was  printed,  pictures  have 
been  added  from  the  Escurial,  and  other  places. 


92  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

respective  epochs,  no  artist,  with  the  exception  of 
Fra  Angelico  and  Andrea  del  Sarto,  is  represented 
upon  these  walls.  No  Massacio,  no  Botticelli,  no 
Roselli,  neither  of  the  Ghirlandi,  no  Lorenzo  da 
Credi  ;  neither  of  the  Lippis.  The  Gallery- 
possesses  nothing  of  the  Lombard  School,  so  dis- 
tinguished by  the  great  names  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  Bernardino  Luini  and  Guadenzio  Ferrari.  It 
is  surprising  that  Charles  V  did  not  see  to  that  in 
the  instance  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  It  is  also  sur- 
prising, considering  the  vast  numbers  of  the  Vene- 
tian School  to  be  seen  here,  in  the  shape  of  Titian 
and  Veronese  and  Tintoretto,  that  there  should  be 
so  many  others  of  that  great  School  unrepresented. 
There  is  a  great  Giorgione,  it  is  true,  but  only  one 
Mantegna,  (although  he  is  properly  of  the  School  of 
Padua,) — none  of  the  Bellini,  neither  Carpaccio,  nor 
Bonifazio,  nor  the  Palmas,  nor  Crivelli.  The  Bolog- 
nese  School,  too,  is  very  poorly  represented.  Of 
the  Sienese  School  nothing.  Guido  has  one  or 
two  inferior  pictures  here  ;  Domenichino,  who, 
although  he  has  to  answer  for  some  inferior  pro- 
ductions, has  certainly  given  a  stupendous  master- 
piece to  the  world,  in  his  "  Last  Communion  of 
St.  Jerome,"  has  but  one  inferior  production.  Nor 
has  Francia  anything.  Unless  we  place  Raphael 
and  Pinturicchio  in  the  Umbrian  School,  there 
seem  to  be  no  others  of  the  School  here,  and  there 
is  not  one  Perugino.  Michael  Angelo's  "absence" 
is  not  "  conspicuous,"  for  he  painted  but  few  easel 
pictures.  As  Ribera  was  the  head  of  the  naturalists 
in  Naples,  it  is  strange  that  with  the  exception  of 


Chari.es  V. 

By  Titian. 


To  face  p.  93. 


THE   MUS^O   DEL  PRADO  93 

his  own  works  here,  there  should  be  none  or  few 
of  the  works  of  Caravasfaio  and  of  Salvator  Rosa 
to  be  seen.  I  think  it  must  be  conceded,  then,  im- 
mense as  are  the  attractions  of  this  Museo,  unique 
of  their  kind,  perhaps,  that  Dresden,  Florence, 
London,  Berlin,  and  even  Munich,  possess  far  more 
comprehensive  collections.  In  all  of  those  Galleries, 
I  think,  the  history  of  Art,  from  its  dawn  to  its 
twilight,  may  be  more  profitably  studied.  Gene- 
rally, those  Galleries  are  more  representative  of 
Schools,  and  with  the  exception  of  two  masters 
only,  they  can    boast    the    best    specimens  of   the 


greatest  men. 


To  an  Englishman  one  of  the  greatest  attractions 
of  this  Gallery  will  always  be  that  there  are  forty- 
four  pictures  that  came  from  the  collection  of  the 
unfortunate  Charles  I.  Englishmen,  then,  will  pay 
the  tribute  of  their  gratitude  to  Philip  IV,  for 
having  rescued  them  in  time  from  the  hands  of 
Oliver  Cromwell  and  his  Puritan  myrmidons.  The 
love  of  Art  covers  a  multitude  of  sins.  And  what- 
ever crimes  are  to  be  attributed  to  the  Spanish 
Monarchs,  we  may  place  to  their  credit  side  this 
fact,  that  from  Charles  V,  to  Philip  V,  a  passion  for 
art  and  artists  was  one  of  their  ruling  characteristics. 
We  all  know  that  Velasquez  was  the  Apelles  of 
Philip  IV,  even  as  Titian  had  been  of  his  great- 
grandfather, Charles  V.  I  will  commence  with 
the  first  Apelles. 

Charles  V  on  Horseback. — Appears  as  the  Victor 
of  Miihlberg,  1547  ;  a  more  monumental  portrait- 
picture  does  not  exist.     Like    many    other   monu- 


94  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

ments,  it  has  suffered  from  time,  burning,  and 
"restorations."  But  it  is  still  glorious,  a  magnifi- 
cent ruin.  He  bestrides  us  all  like  the  Colossus  of 
Rhodes,  and  we  petty  men  peep  about  betwixt  his 
huge  legs.  It  was  really  a  chestnut  horse  that 
Charles  rode  that  day,  though  it  has  been  rendered 
black.  Fresh  from  the  easel,  it  must  have  been 
facile  princeps  of  all  portraits  ever  given  to  the 
world,  and  alone  would  have  immortalised  the 
artist.  No  one  could  help  remarking  the  extra- 
ordinary senility  of  a  man  who  was  then  only 
forty-seven  years  of  age.  In  the  prime  of  life, 
and  yet  an  old  man  !  Gout,  stone,  dyspepsia — the 
results  of  astounding  gluttony — say  some.  Inces- 
sant campaigning,  say  others.  His  abdication  was 
doubtless  owing-  to  attacks  of  indigestion.  What 
surprises  us  then  is,  that  when  he  took  the  cowl  at 
Yuste  he  did  not  take  the  vows  of  abstinence.  He 
appears,  there,  to  have  continued  his  gluttonous 
habits.  We  do  not  wonder  then,  that  he  died 
within  three  years  of  his  abdication.  "  He  who 
ruleth  himself  is  better  than  he  that  taketh  a  strong 
tower."  Charles  had  not  that  prime  and  chief  re- 
quisite of  a  Ruler. 

Portrait  of  Charles  V  (Titian). — The  Potentate 
has  his  Irish  wolf-dog  by  his  side.  A  grand- 
seigneur  picture.  Serious  but  affable,  thoughtful 
but  not  severe.  It  is  Charles  in  his  every-day 
mood,  taken  at  a  moment  when  he  would  be 
approachable  and  conversable,  and  had  even  time 
to  caress  his  dog.  He  might  just  then  have 
stooped   to  pick  up  the  paint-brush  which  Titian 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PRADO  95 

had  let  fall.  But  that  story  is  told  of  the 
"  Charles  V  "  now  in  the  Munich  Gallery.  The 
dog  is  alive. 

Most  great  painters  have  loved  dogs,  and  have 
painted  them  surpassingly  well.  Titian,  Rubens, 
Antonio  Moro,  Pourbus,  Murillo,  P.  Veronese,  Mil- 
lais,  Landseer  and  others.  And  we  meaner  men 
love  them  too.  If  you  cannot  be  a  hero  to  your 
valet,  you  are  always  a  god  to  your  dog.  This  is 
the  sort  of  picture  to  hang  over  your  fireplace, 
and  to  live  with.  This  masterpiece  was  given  to 
Charles  I,  when  he  came  to  Madrid  in  search  of 
an  Infanta,  by  Philip  IV.  I  think  Charles  well 
rewarded  for  his  journey,  though  he  failed  to  obtain 
his  Infanta.  It  was  purchased  back  by  Philip 
amongst  the  other  English  pictures  after  Charles's 
death.  Few  pictures  have  made  more  suggestive 
journeys. 

Philip  II  in  Armour  {Titian). — This  is  the 
Portrait  that  completed  the  Conquest  of  English 
Mary  ;  in  the  self-same  armour  that  is  preserved  in 
the  "  Armeria."  Portraits  of  this  Spanish  hero  are 
so  numerous  that  his  face  is  as  familiar  to  us  as 
those  of  our  Elizabeth,  or  our  Charles  I.  Here  he 
is  shown  to  us  in  his  youth,  but  whether  we  see  him 
in  his  early  years,  or  in  his  maturity,  he  always  looks 
as  though  he  saw  a  ghost.  Likely  enough  that  he 
saw  myriads  of  ghosts,  the  Spanish  or  Flemish 
victims  of  his  insatiable  cruelty.  The  face,  never- 
theless, possesses  a  certain  degree  of  shrewdness, 
and  is  less  uncomely  and  stupid  than  those  of  his 
son  and  his  grandson,  who  succeeded  him  upon  the 


96  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

throne,  of  which  he  had  made  anything  rather  than 
a  bed  of  roses.  His  whole  existence  is  a  record  of 
terrible  crimes  against  humanity.  And  his  death, 
of  long-spun-out  terrors  more  frightful  than,  though 
similar  to,  those  of  Sylla  and  of  Herod.  Titian, 
almost  to  the  end  of  his  immensely  protracted  life, 
continued  to  paint  for  the  son,  as  he  had  done  for 
the  father.  There  is  no  other  instance  of  a  patri- 
archal artist  preserving  command  of  sight  and 
manual  dexterity,  almost  undiminished,  to  his  latest 
years. 

La  Gloria  (Titian). — This  was  the  favourite 
picture  of  Charles  V.  He  carried  it  with  him, 
upon  his  abdication,  to  Yuste,  and  left  directions 
in  his  will  that  it  was  to  adorn  the  place  of  his 
interment.  When  his  body  was  removed  to  the 
Escurial,  it  accompanied  his  corpse,  and  was  after- 
wards, (within  very  recent  years,)  placed  in  this 
Museo.  It  is,  therefore,  a  most  interesting  picture, 
though  as  a  work  of  art,  if  still  astonishing,  a 
wreck.  Charles,  his  Empress,  his  son  Philip,  and 
his  daughters  are  here  represented  in  their  night- 
gowns, in  presence  of  the  Trinity,  and  of  the 
spiritual  hierarchy,  Noah  inclusive,  with  whom 
they  appear  to  be  upon  quite  intimate  terms.  The 
Venetian  painters  were  much  in  the  habit  of  thus 
representing  their  doges,  monarchs,  and  other  great 
men.  Titian,  if  he  had  any  sense  of  humour,  must 
have  smiled  when  he  had  to  present  men  such  as 
Charles  and  his  son,  in  guise  so  highly  spiritualised. 
But  he  gives  us,  notwithstanding,  his  own  portrait 
below. 


THE  MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  97 

The  Victory  of  Lepanto  (Titian1). — Not  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  Battle,  but  an  allegory,  much  of  the 
same  kind  as  the  "Gloria."  Philip  II  is  repre- 
sented, smartly  arrayed,  as  offering  his  infant  son  to 
Fame,  who  in  return  presents  the  boy  with  a  palm 
or  plume,  which  he  somewhat  hesitatingly  accepts. 
Philip  and  his  son  take  all  the  glory  of  that  great 
battle,  which  was  won  for  them  by  Don  John  of 
Austria,  Philip's  half-brother.  Titian  painted  this 
picture  in  his  ninety-sixth  year.  The  child,  Fer- 
nando, did  not  live  to  grow  up.  The  battle, 
1 57 1,  was  the  greatest  victory  of  Don  John,  and 
it  may  be  considered  as  the  Navarino  of  the  16th 
Century. 

Duke  (Alfonso)  of  Ferrara  (Titian). — A  very 
fine  portrait,  of  one  of  Titian's  greatest  and  most 
importunate  patrons,  (you  will  remember  the  finer 
portrait  in  the  Pitti  Palace).  He  was  famous  as  an 
Art-collector,  and  also  as  the  husband  of  Lucrezia 
Borgia.  She  does  not  seem  to  have  had  her  por- 
trait painted  by  Titian,  or  by  any  other  artist.  She 
has  been  painted  by  history,  or  scandal,  much 
blacker  than  probability  at  least  warrants.  Alfonso 
possessed  the  adjacent  picture  by  Titian,  known  as 
the  "  Fecundidad,"  or  "Worship  of  Venus,"  as 
"  Goddess  of  Fecundity." 

Fecundidad  ( Titian).  —  The  most  delightful 
Romp  of  Cupids  below,  and  Cherubs  above,  that 

1  It  is  noteworthy,  as  regards  this  picture  of  the  "Victory  of 
Lepanto,"  that  Sanchez  Coello  made  sketches  of  this  amongst 
others  for  Titian,  and  took  them  to  Titian  at  Venice.  This 
shows  the  estimation  in  which  Coello  was  held  by  Titian. 

7 


98  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

was    ever  imagined,   since    Greek   artists    frescoed 
with  similar  decorations  Pompeian  walls. 

This  picture,  when  in  Rome,  became  a  sort  of 
culte  amongst  the  artists.  Domenichino  is  said 
to  have  shed  tears  when  the  picture  was  removed. 

The  Empress  Isabella  {Titian). — Painted  after 
her  death.  Probably  from  Titian's  sketch.  Her 
husband  Charles  V  was  so  fond  of  this  picture, 
and  indeed  of  her,  that  he  took  it  with  him  to 
Yuste,  and  it  was  before  him  in  his  dying  hours. 
It  is  said  that  had  she  lived  longer,  she  would  also 
have  taken  monastic  vows.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  she  died  so  early,  for  Philip  their  son,  who  was 
then  only  twelve  years  of  age,  might  have  been  a 
different  man  had  she  lived  to  influence  him. 

A  Knight  of  Malta  (Titian). — Unnamed.  An 
extremely  fine  portrait  of  a  man  dressed  in  black 
with  large  red  cross  embroidered  upon  his  breast. 

Portrait  of  the  Painter  {Titian). — It  is  the  well- 
known,  handsome  Head  of  the  Artist  in  his  old  age. 
Most,  too,  of  Titian's  religious  subjects  in  this 
Gallery  were  painted  in  his  very  mature  years,  and 
many  of  them  have  been  injured  by  repainting  ;  of 
such  is  the  "  Entombment,"  a  grand  work  executed 
in  his  eighty-second  year. 

It  is  very  similar  to  that  in  the  Louvre  of  the 
same  subject,  painted  much  earlier  in  life. 

Christ  Presented  to  the  People  by  Pilate 
{Titian). — A  fine  picture,  interesting,  too,  because 
it  is  mentioned  by  Velasquez  himself  as  "  muy 
bueno,"  and  also  as  being  "restored"  even  then. 
The    "  Mater    Dolorosa "    (on    slate),    beautiful    in 


THE   MUSEO   DEL  PRADO  99 

itself,  also  has  an  additional  interest  in  having 
been  before  Charles's  eyes  upon  his  death-bed. 
Titian's  principal  "  profane  "  subjects  in  the  Museo 
are  the  "Venus  and  Adonis,"  the  "  Danae," 
the  "Abandoned  Ariadne,"  and  the  "Repose  in 
Egypt  "  (?).  The  last  picture  referred  to  is  now 
classed  amongst  the  "uncertified"  Titians.  It  is 
one  of  the  reposeful,  poetic  Idylls,  which  Titian  has 
so  often,  and  even  lovingly,  put  before  us.  There 
is  the  delicious,  dreamy  landscape  of  his  own 
country,  bathed  in  a  light  as  of  sapphires,  an 
interchange  of  tender  blues  and  greens,  melting 
into  each  other,  and  blending  into  the  haze  of  the 
horizon.  It  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted  that  this  pic- 
ture, so  Titianesque,  issued  from  a  Venetian  studio, 
and  probably  from  that  of  Titian.  The  family  of 
Vecelli,  son,  brother  and  cousin,  Orazio,  Cesare, 
Francesco,  were  famous  for  reproducing  Titian's 
manner  and  colouring.  Very  many  of  the  "  Titians  " 
in  the  Galleries  of  Europe,  public  and  private,  are 
works  of  his  relatives. 

The  "Ariadne,"  or  "Bacchanal,"  forms  one  of 
the  series,  of  which  the  magnificent  example  in  the 
National  Gallery  of  London  stands  pre-eminent. 

The  "  Venus  and  Adonis,"  too,  is  another  in- 
stance of  the  kind.  There  are  many  replicas 
elsewhere.  But  both  of  the  pictures  here  noted, 
are  full  of  the  power  and  charm  which  distinguish 
Titian's  idyllic  subjects.  The  "  Danae  "  is  a  very 
fine  example  of  Titian's  genius  in  mythological 
subjects,  but  this  picture  is  probably  a  little  inferior 
to  a  splendid  rendering  of  the  same,  or  nearly  the 


100  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

same  picture  in  the  Museum  at  Naples.  Another 
is  at  St.  Petersburg.  There  are  two  copies  of 
famous  mythological  pictures  by  Titian  here,  "  Pro- 
metheus "  and  "  Sisyphus."  The  originals,  together 
with  "  Ixion  and  Tantalus"  all  painted  for  Mary  of 
Hungary,  the  sister  of  Charles  V,  were  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1604  or  1608  when  the  Palace  "del 
Pardo  "  was  burnt.  It  therefore  seems  as  if  some 
artist  copied  them,  with  a  kind  of  prescience  of 
their  coming  destruction.  These  copies  are  always 
affirmed  to  have  been  by  Sanchez  Coello.  It  is 
certain  that  Sanchez  Coello  died   1590-91. 

Murillo  (1618-1682). — If  there  be  an  artist 
towards  whom  we  feel  almost  a  personal  affection, 
I  think,  it  is  Murillo.  And  I  believe  the  reason 
to  be  that  his  personal  individuality  is  so  impressed 
upon  his  works.  His  goodness,  gentleness,  and 
simplicity,  were  as  remarkable  as  his  sense  of 
beauty  and  his  genius.  His  intense  love  for  his 
kind,  for  Humanity,  comes  out  in  all  his  pictures. 
It  is  demonstrated  in  depicting  what  we  should 
term  "ugly"  subjects,  such  as  his  beggars,  cripples, 
peasants,  fully  as  much  as  in  his  Madonnas,  Saints, 
and  sacred  pictures  generally.  He  saw  the  inherent 
beauty  of  human  nature,  even  when  he  was  repre- 
senting physical  defects,  and  the  lower  types  of 
man  or  woman.  He  never  caricatured  the  ugly 
or  the  misshapen.  And  therein  I  think  lies  his 
superiority  to  Velasquez,  who  often  uglified  his 
dwarfs  and  mendicants.  The  Saints,  and  holy  men 
and  women,  who  clothed  the  naked  and  fed  the 
hungry,  or  who  bathed  their  sores  and  alleviated 


»-5 


s. 

r- 


I 


THE   MUS^O   DEL   PRADO  101 

their  sufferings,  irresistibly  appealed  to  Murillo's 
heart.  It  would  have  been  a  St.  Francis,  rather 
than  a  St.  Domenic,  to  arouse  Murillo's  sympathy. 
Not  the  least,  too,  of  the  former  great  Saint's  great 
qualities  in  the  eyes  of  Murillo,  would  have  been 
his  tender  compassion  for  animals.  Another 
characteristic  of  Murillo. 

St.  Francis  of  Assist,  "La  Porcianczcla." — 
The  little  strip  of  ground  (near  the  modern  Railway 
Station  of  Assisi)  which  was  given  to  St.  Francis  to 
build  his  little  Chapel.  Here  St.  Francis  has  one 
of  his  many  visions,  as  he  prays  before  the  Altar. 
It  was  here  that  in  buffeting  the  assaults  of  the 
Evil  One,  he  cast  himself  into  the  thorn-bushes, 
which  were  transformed,  as  if  in  response  to  his 
supplications,  into  red  and  white  roses  and  which 
cherubs  are  showering  down  upon  the  Saint's  head. 

Here  St.  Francis  died,  and  upon  the  place  of  his 
death  a  fine  Cathedral  has  in  recent  times  been 
erected.  His  ashes,  as  we  know,  were  transferred 
to  the  magnificent  Church  that  crowns  the  heights 
of  Assisi. 

St.  Francis  de  Paulo  [Murillo). — He  is  kneel- 
ing before  a  veil  whereon  is  written  "  Charitas." 
His  motto,  and  of  Murillo,  too. 

The  Infant  Saviour  and  St.  John  [Murillo). — 
Murillo's  children  have  never  been  surpassed.  This 
is  one  of  the  best  examples.  The  Infant  Baptist 
drinks  heartily  from  a  shell,  which  the  Infant 
Saviour  presents  to  his  lips,  and  a  beautiful  lamb 
looks  on  as  though  he  would  also  drink.  The  scene 
is  suffused  in  a  vaporous  glow.     That  "  vaporoso" 


e 
* 


102  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

softness,  which  is  peculiar  to  Murillo.     From  above, 
the  heads  of  cherubim  are  contemplating  the  scene. 

Holy  Family,  "El  Pajarito"  {Murillo). — To 
my  view  the  most  beautiful  and  entirely  satisfactory 
of  Murillo's  larger  compositions  in  the  Gallery.  It 
has  the  repose,  and  the  softness  of  light  and  colour 
of  one  of  the  Venetian  masters.  The  gentleness 
and  sweetness  which  characterise  the  countenances 
of  the  Infant  Saviour  and  of  the  Virgin  and  St. 
Joseph  are  peculiar  to  Murillo.  They  are  all  types 
unmistakably  Spanish,  but  of  the  highest  and 
noblest  kind.  It  is  purely  a  domestic  scene,  suffi- 
ciently idealised,  but  not  too  much  so.  I  think 
that  the  bird,  whence  the  picture  is  named,  is  too 
tightly  squeezed  in  the  Infant's  hands.  That  rather 
"jars  "  in  the  thoughts  of  the  spectator.  Otherwise 
the  execution  is  wholly  admirable.  There  may  be 
something  in  the  colour  to  recall  Ribera.  Perhaps 
in  the  treatment  of  the  "bird,"  but  not  of  that  of 
the  picture. 

The  Immaculate  Conception  (Murillo). — There 
are  two  or  three  in  the  Gallery  of  this  subject  so 
congenial  to  Murillo.  They  vary  much  in  merit. 
Two  of  them  hang  close  together,  and  those  two 
are  the  best  here.  There  are  several  others  of  the 
same  subject  at  Seville  and  elsewhere  in  Spain, 
but  they  are  all  surpassed  by  the  famous  picture  at 
Paris,  one  of  Marshal  Souk's  numerous  thefts.  But 
in  all,  Murillo  maintains  the  same  type  of  the 
Virgin.  No  semi-divine  or  even  divine,  person, 
was  the  Virgin  as  he  conceived  her.  He  has  no 
sympathy  with  those  artists  who  desired  to  elevate 


a 


3 


o 


The  Virgin   \m>  St.  Ildefonso. 

By  Slurillo. 


To  hue  p.  103. 


THE  MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  103 

her  into  equality  with  the  Sacred  Trinity.  He  had 
no  idea  of  her  being  "  Deipara."  A  beautiful, 
youthful,  simple,  lowly-born  maiden  whose  crown 
was  that  of  purity,  innocence,  and  holiness,  and 
from  such  a  type  he  has  never  swerved. 

Of  Murillo  s  other  pictures  here,  I  believe  that 
the  best  will  be  considered  to  be  the  following  : — 

The  Apparition  of  the  Virgin  to  St.  Ildefonso, 
in  which  the  Virgin,  and  Angels,  appear,  bearing  a 
"Casulla,"  or  Chasuble,  for  his  acceptance.  St. 
Ildefonso  was  a  Benedictine  Monk  and  Archbishop 
of  Toledo  in  the  7th  Century. 

The  Vision  of  St.  Bernard  (Mnrillo). — The 
execution  of  this  picture  is  worthy  of  all  praise,  but 
"  the  literal  representation  of  a  spiritual  idea,"  does 
not  commend  itself  as  beautiful  to  the  ordinary 
mind.  "  The  Annunciation,"  and  the  "  St.  Anna 
teaching  the  Virgin  to  read,"  are  the  two  others  of 
Murillo's  which  chiefly  deserve  notice. 

Ribera,  called  " Lo  Spagnoletto"  (1 588-1 656). — 
Almost  all  the  numerous  works  of  this  powerful 
Master  are  placed  together,  so  that  the  sombre 
colouring,  the  weird  masses  of  strongly  contrasted 
"chiaroscuro,"  and  the  equally  sombre  choice  of 
subjects,  which  distinguish  this  artist,  can  be  studied 
better  here  than  anywhere  else.  He,  no  doubt, 
owes  to  his  chief  master,  M.  A.  de  Caravaggio,  his 
preference  for  blackness.  His  choice  of  wild  and 
painful  subjects  is  peculiarly  his  own.  It  is  with 
relief,  that  you  turn  from  "martyrdoms,"  and 
"  Tortures  of  Saints,"  however  vigorously,  and 
even  splendidly  painted,  to  gentler  subjects  equally 


104  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

finely  represented,  such  as  "  St.  Peter  released  from 
prison  "  ;  "  Heads  of  Silenus  "  ;  and  of  the  "  Sibyl  "  ; 
and  above  all  and  before  all,  "  Jacob's  dream." 

A  superb  young  man  in  clerical  garb,  a  long 
black  cassock,  and  with  sandals  upon  his  feet,  lies 
prone  upon  the  earth,  in  most  serene  and  undis- 
turbed repose.  Slumber,  so  profound  and  happy, 
that  it  gives  no  space  to  dreams,  of  "  Jacob's 
Ladder  "  or  of  anything  else.  A  gnarled  tree  upon 
Jacob's  right  hand  partly  shelters  him.  The  picture 
is,  evidently,  a  portrait,  and  worthy  of  Titian  himself, 
— the  black  dress  included.  I  would  that  the  artist 
had  given  us  more  such  "dreams." 

Ribera  has  nevertheless  given  us  one,  (as  I 
believe)  of  the  great  masterpieces  of  the  world. 
The"Pieta"  in  the  beautiful  St.  Martino  Chapel, 
upon  Monte  St.  Elmo,  at  Naples,  No  one  who 
has  ever  beheld  it,  but  must  wish  to  see  again  that 
most  touching  picture.  Another  very  great  picture 
of  his  ;  a  most  splendid  "  Saint  Simeon  with  the 
Infant  Christ."  It  belongs  to  Lord  Bristol,  and 
was  in  the  year  1901  exhibited  at  the  Guildhall. 

Ribera  (1 588-1656)  forsook  his  own  country  as  a 
youth,  and  settled  at  Naples.  It  would  be  more 
correct  to  say  that  he  "settled"  everybody  else. 
He  seems  to  have  been  of  a  violent  and  tyrannical 
temper.  He  made  himself  head  of  a  "  Camorra  " 
of  painting.  He  may  be  considered  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  that  autocratic  establishment  which  in 
other  branches  continues  to  flourish  to  the  pre- 
sent day. 

No  one  was  allowed  to  paint,  unless  he  was  a 


THE   MUSEO   DEL  PRADO  105 

"  Naturalist  "  or  a  "  Tenebroso."  War  to  the  knife 
was  declared  against  the  "  Eclectic  "  School.  Do- 
menichino  was  rash  enough  to  visit  Naples,  but 
was  soon  driven  away  in  danger  of  his  life.  Stanz- 
ioni,  one  of  the  foremost  Neapolitan  painters,  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  one  of  his  greatest  pictures 
destroyed  with  vitriol  by  Ribera,  who  had  been 
good  enough  to  volunteer  to  clean  or  "  improve " 
the  picture  for  him.  Yet  whatever  defects  of  style, 
or  temper,  Ribera  may  have  had,  I  never  see  a 
picture  of  his  but  I  acknowledge  what  a  very  great 
painter  he  was. 

Adam  and  Eve  {Titian);  Copy  by  Rubens 
( 1 577-1 640). — This  copy  was  made  for  Charles  I. 

The  two  pictures  have  been  placed  near  to  each 
other.  The  original  is  not  in  the  condition  that  it 
was,  when  Rubens  made  this  fine  copy.  We  may 
therefore  look  upon  the  copy  as  being  the  best  of 
the  two,  at  the  present  moment.  It  is  remarkable 
how  Rubens  has  suppressed  his  own  flesh-ideals,  in 
order  to  give  a  faithful  rendering  of  the  flesh-tints 
peculiar  to  the  older  master.  Rubens  has,  however, 
permitted  himself  to  make  a  small  addition  to  the 
original,  and  also  a  small  subtraction.  The  former 
is  that  of  a  gorgeous  "  macaw "  ;  the  omission  is 
that  of  Adam's  fig-leaf.  Rubens'  passion  for  the 
human  form  divine,  was  so  consistent  that  he  some- 
times grudged  a  figment  of  a  fig-leaf.  He  was 
historically  wrong  here,  for  the  event  represented 
is  the  "  Fall  of  man,  (and  woman,")  and  Genesis 
tells  us  that  they  thereupon  "made  unto  themselves 
aprons,"  (or  "breeches,"  as  one  version  has  it). 


106  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

A  "  burst"  of  Rubens'  triumphant  themes  salutes 
you  in  the  entrance-hall,  and  in  the  adjacent  rooms 
of  the  Gallery.  The  light  here  is  not  of  the  best, 
perhaps  that  is  the  reason  why  these  rooms  have 
been  assigned  to  personages  of  a  Pantheon,  who 
have  not  only  not  made  any  toilettes  at  all,  but  wish 
for  no  other  garb  than  that  which  our  primitive 
Mother  Eve  is  wearing  in  the  picture  noted 
above. 

We  are  conscious,  rather  than  critically  observant, 
of  vigorous  Syrens,  mature  enchantresses,  of  Dianas 
and  Venuses,  Pomonas  and  Cereses,  splendidly  un- 
ashamed, and  all  heartily  alive. 

Flashes  of  golden  tresses,  and  rose-like  lips,  and 
laughing  eyes.  Dreams  of  fat  women,  and  of  god- 
like men,  with  glowing  muscles,  swelling  contours, 
herculean  limbs,  fanfaronades  of  pink  flesh.  A 
carnival  of  colour,  and  of  luxuriant  healthiness. 

All  recklessly  thrown  off,  as  it  were,  from  an 
anvil  of  the  gods.  And  all  instinct  with  the  glow 
and  fire  of  a  sort  of  volcanic  artist. 

You  have  almost  to  look  through  your  fingers  at 
the  profuse  and  dazzling  splendour  of  them  all. 
But  you  do  look,  much  like  the  famous  "  Vergognosa 
dclla  Vendemmia"  in  the  picture  of  "  Noah  Intoxi- 
cated," on  the  walls  of  the  Campo  Santo  at  Pisa. 
Where  did  Rubens  meet  with  that  peculiar  type  of 
woman, — a  type  from  which  he  rarely  departed  ? 
You  do  not  come  across  such  massive,  golden-haired 
ladies,  with  complexions  of  lilies  mingled  with  peonies, 
and  with  curled  poppy  lips,  in  Belgium.  Vandyke, 
likewise  a  Fleming,  and  Rubens'  foremost  pupil,  did 


THE   MUS^O   DEL   PRADO  107 

not  see  them,  and  Rubens,  a  much- travelled  man, 
could  not  have  met  them  in  Spain,  or  Italy,  or  in 
England.  The  fair  daughters  of  those  countries 
might  have  given  him  other  models.  His  wives, 
Isabella  and  Helena,  were  on  the  large  scale,  however. 
Rubens  adored  his  wives,  and  beyond  them,  per- 
haps, did  not  care  to  look.  Rubens  was  very  fond 
of  the  "Judgment  of  Paris,"  as  a  subject.  Natu- 
rally, or  even  necessarily,  the  subject  demanded  an 
abhorrence  of  drapery.  But  how  difficult  he  made 
for  Paris,  the  award  of  the  apple.  For  Juno  and 
Minerva  are  merely  repetitions  of  Venus.  But,  at 
moments,  this  great  artist  has  risen,  and  triumphed 
over  the  flesh.     In  such  a  moment  he  painted  : 

Moses  Serpent. — A  most  pathetic  picture,  and 
a  very  noble  conception  of  a  touching  subject. 
Here,  Rubens  has  not  thought  of  "showing  off," 
or  of  demonstrating  his  powers  in  depicting  unclad 
Humanity.  It  is  a  triumph  of  execution  all  the 
same.  I  know  of  no  more  expressive  or  impressive 
work  of  his.  The  woman,  who  is  struggling  to  live, 
and  to  fix  her  eyes  upon  the  life-giving  serpent,  is 
sublime. 

Rubens  was  born  in  1577, — in  the  year  after  that 
of  Titian's  death.  He  was  born  opportunely.  All 
the  great  Italian  Masters  had  disappeared  when 
Rubens  began  to  study  painting.  He  may  be  said 
to  have  re-kindled  the  sacred  flame  which  had 
become  extinguished  in  Italy.  He  became  to 
monarchs,  what  Titian  had  been,  and  what  his 
contemporary  and  friend,  Velasquez,  was  to  be  to 
Philip  IV  of  Spain.      And  what  eternal  gratitude 


108  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

do  we  not  owe  him  when  we  think  of  the  wondrous 
Raphael-Cartoons  which  he  bought  for  Charles  I. 

A  headlong  genius,  excelling  in  all  subjects  upon 
which  he  laid  his  hand.  Whether  it  were  a  "  Cruci- 
fixion "  or  a  "Judgment  of  Paris,"  or  a  "  Rainbow 
Landscape,"  a  "  Gambol  of  Cupids,"  or  a  "Garden 
of  Peacocks,"  or  of  flowers,  or  a  portrait,  or  animals, 
always  unsurpassed  and  pre-eminent.  Immense 
Artist,  also  Diplomatist,  Ambassador,  trustworthy 
friend,  loyal  companion,  genial  spirit,  bon-enfant, 
loved,  admired,  and  honoured  of  all.  You  have, 
in  spite  of  (and,  perhaps,  just  a  little  because 
of,)  all  your  swimming  buxomnesses,  and  your 
flamboyant  nudenesses,  chained  us  all  to  your 
triumphant  car.  You  were  a  law  unto  yourself, 
even  as  Shakespeare  and  Turner. 

You  used  your  giant  strength  most  tyrannically, 
but  we  all  bow  down  to  you  and  take  off  our  hats  as 
you  sit  enthroned  in  the  front  rank  of  the  Immortals, 
side  by  side  with  V.  Eyck  and  Rembrandt,  with 
Titian  and  Velasquez. 

Velasquez  (1599- 1 660). — Passing  from  the  glow- 
ing splendours  of  Rubens  into  the  presence  of  Ve- 
lasquez, is  like  leaving  the  glare  of  the  midday  sun, 
to  shelter  in  the  shade  of  avenues  of  cypress  trees, 
bordered  by  hedges  of  clipped  yew.  The  sun  still 
shines  there,  but  his  rays  are  broken  and  subdued. 
Velasquez  possesses  this  suite  of  apartments  by  right 
of  genius,  as  he  held  the  others  in  the  old  consumed 
Palace  of  the  Alcazar  as  King  Philip's  "  Apasen- 
tados  Mayor,"  or  "  Master  of  the  Household."  It 
is    in   one    of    these    now-consumed    rooms,    then, 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PRADO  109 

adorned  as  it  was  with  pictures  of  his  artist-friend 
Rubens,  that  we  find  Velasquez  putting  the  finishing 
strokes  to  his  just  completed  and  wonderful  picture 
known  as  : 

Las  Menlnas  {The  Maids  of  Honour). — The 
handsome,  swarthy  artist  stands  up  before  his 
easel  upon  your  left.  The  little  Infanta  Maria,  the 
daughter  of  Philip  IV,  and  of  his  second  wife, 
Mariana  of  Austria,  is  seated,  receiving  from  a 
"  Menina "  kneeling,  a  cup  of  water,  which  she 
doubtless  needed  after  a  protracted  sitting.  Another 
Menina  is  at  hand,  and  in  the  foreground  are  two 
dwarfs,  one  a  female  with  a  dog,  who  is  being  teased 
by  one  of  them,  which  must  have  rather  interfered 
with  the  sitting.  An  officer  and  a  lady  of  the 
Court  are  in  the  background,  for  it  would  not  have 
been  seemly  that  an  Infanta  of  Spain  should  have 
been  left  with  the  scanty  retinue  in  front.  There  is 
another  figure,  too,  in  the  background,  in  the  open 
door.  A  mirror  upon  the  wall  reflects  the  most 
Catholic  Sovereigns,  who  are  with  you,  contemplating 
the  scene.  So  delighted  was  Philip  with  this 
picture,  that  he  then  and  there  took  up  the  painter's 
brush,  and  painted  with  his  own  royal  hands  the  red 
cross  of  the  Order  of  Santiago  upon  the  artist's 
breast.  And  thus,  as  he  said,  he  supplied  the  only 
thing  lacking  to  make  a  perfect  picture.  And 
perfect  it  is,  as  every  one  has  said,  who  has  seen  it 
for  the  last  three  hundred  years  or  more.  Strangely 
enough,  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  swept  off  to 
Paris  with  all  the  other  art-loot  of  the  insatiable 
French    Generals.     But  en    revanche,    the    Church 


110  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

S.  Juan,  where  Velasquez  was  buried,  was  des- 
troyed by  them,  and  the  immortal  artist's  ashes 
dispersed  to  the  winds.  It  was  the  last  great 
picture  that  Velasquez  painted,  for  he  died  shortly 
afterwards,   in   1 660. 

The  Surrender  of  Breda  ( Velasquez). — The 
greatest  of  the  historical  compositions  of  the  artist. 
It  immortalises  one  of  the  few  victories  that  can  be 
credited  to  Philip  IV.  Spinola  took  Breda  for  him, 
June  2,  1626.  Prince  Justin  of  Nassau  is  presenting 
the  Victor  with  his  sword.  Nothing  can  exceed  the 
courteous  demeanour  of  the  chivalrous  conqueror  as 
he  hastens,  with  genial  smile,  and  with  deprecating 
hands,  to  reassure  the  vanquished  General.  Both  of 
them  are  painted  with  extraordinary  skill,  and  the 
character  of  both  heads  are  noble  in  the  extreme. 
The  picture  is  crowded  with  knights,  and  soldiers, 
Spanish,  Italian,  and  Flemish,  the  individuality  of 
each  Race  being  indicated  with  immense  force,  not 
alone  as  regards  the  features,  but  also  by  details  of 
costume.  Velasquez,  it  is  supposed,  has  introduced 
his  own  head  into  the  picture.  That,  upon  the 
right,  with  a  plumed  hat.  But  it  did  not  strike  me 
as  very  similar  to  the  undoubted  Portrait,  in  the 
picture  of  the  "  Meninas."  The  picture  is  known  in 
Spain  as  "  Las  Lanzas,"  from  the  pikes  and  lances 
that  bristle  in  the  painting.  After  having  admired 
the  lofty,  and  chivalrous  character,  expressed  in  the 
countenance  and  bearing  of  Spinola,  it  is  sad  to 
remember  that  the  hero's  services  were  so  ill-repaid 
by  Philip,  that  his  life  was  shortened  by  the  cruel 
treatment  of  his  Sovereign.     In  Spain   it  seems  to 


THE   MUSEO   DEL  PRADO  111 

have  been  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  that 
Sovereigns  should  neglect  and  defame  the  Ministers 
who  served  them  best  and  should  break  the  hearts 
of  the  Generals  by  their  ingratitude. 

Don  Balthazar  Carlos  ( Velasquez). — This  sturdy 
little  boy,  whose  features  we  so  well  know,  is 
represented  as  riding  a  pony,  as  full  of  life  and 
spirit  as  himself,  full  tilt  at  you.  You,  involuntarily, 
turn  aside  to  avoid  being  ridden  over.  The  joyous 
abandon  of  equestrian  youth,  and  willing  steed 
united,  has  never  been  more  skilfully  expressed. 
The  picture  lives,  and  moves, — and  gallops.  Don 
Balthazar's  father,  Philip  IV,  was  as  good  an 
equestrian  as  was  to  be  found  in  Spain.  It  is 
evident  that  the  father  intended  the  son  to  be  as 
good  as  himself  upon  a  horse.  The  boy  was  as 
often  as  his  father  a  subject  of  Velasquez-canvases. 
There  are  three  other  pictures  of  him  here,  and 
several  also  in  English  collections,  e.g.,  those  of  the 
Duke  of  Abercorn  and  Lord  Bristol. 

The  death  of  the  Prince,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
was  a  serious  blow  to  the  cause  of  monarchy  in  Spain. 
Had  he  lived,  there  would  have  been  no  King 
called  Charles  II,  no  War  of  the  Spanish  Succession, 
and  no  Bourbon  dynasty  upon  the  throne  of  Spain. 

Four  Dwarfs  (Velasqtiez). — It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  the  wonderful  powers  of  the  painter 
had  to  be  so  often  exercised  in  delineating  the  ugly 
or  unsympathetic  features  of  dwarfs,  beggars,  fools, 
etc.  Dwarfs  and  fools,  however,  were  amongst  the 
adjuncts  of  the  rigid  and  serious  Spanish  Court,  and 
the  Spanish  Monarchs,  some  of  whom  could  rarely 


112  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

be  induced  to  smile,  found  relaxation,  I  suppose,  in 
the  grimaces  and  antics  of  such  creatures.  Dwarfs 
are  generally  conceited,  and  in  these  instances  seem 
to  have  been  endowed  with  a  singular  appreciation 
of  their  own  surpassing  merits.  Their  looks  express 
boundless  satisfaction  with  their  appearance,  as  well 
as  the  supreme  honour  they  were  conferring  upon 
the  great  artist,  by  condescending   to  sit   to   him. 

There  are  other  specimens  of  the  kind  in  the 
Gallery,  also  by  Velasquez  ;  one  known  as 
"  D.   Antonio    el    Ingles "    (the    Englishman). 

Philip  IV  on  Horseback  (  Velasquez). — This  mag- 
nificent portrait  disputes,  with  that  of  Charles  V 
by  Titian,  the  right  of  being  the  greatest  of  eques- 
trian portraits.  Certainly  the  art  of  portraiture 
could  no  further  go.  Philip  bestrides  his  splendid 
Andalusian  charger,  with  the  calm  consciousness  of 
being  the  best  horseman  of  his  day.  He  is  in 
armour,  with  a  baton  in  his  hand.  Serious,  impassive, 
unapproachable,  with  lack-lustre  eye,  he  might  be 
marble.  His  horse,  full  of  life  and  spirit,  is  in  the 
strongest  contrast  to  his  master. 

Philip,  here,  indeed,  reminds  one  of  some  stern 
Commendatore,  rather  to  be  figured  in  marble  than 
painted  on  canvas.  Would  any  Don  Giovanni  have 
ever  been  bold  enough  to  invite  this  unearthly- 
looking  warrior  to  a  banquet  at  his  house?  Or 
would  he  have  rather  gone  to  Charles  V,  in  the 
Miihlberg  picture?  It  would  have  demanded  all 
imaginable  courage  to  address  either  of  these  poten- 
tates in  festive  terms.  He  would  have  had  better 
success,  with    Charles,   who   loved   any    chance   of 


Philip  IV.  on  II'  irseb  ick. 
By   Velasquez. 


To  face  p.  112. 


Queen  Isabella. 

An  Equestrian  Portrait. 

By  Velasquez. 


To  face  p.  113. 


THE   MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  113 

eating,  and  would  also,  have  equally  enjoyed  the 
chances  of  consigning  his  godless  host  to  the  flames 
beneath  immediately  afterwards.  It  is  said  that 
Philip  IV  enjoyed  reading  "Don  Quixote."  He 
does  not  look  here,  as  though  he  were  fresh  from 
the  perusal  of  that  humorous  book.  There  is  here 
a  more  pleasing  portrait  though  not  so  splendid  a 
picture,  of  Philip  IV,  as  a  stripling  in  shooting 
dress,  with  gun  and  dog.  There  are  six  other 
portraits  of  him  here  by  Velasquez. 

Queen  Isabella  ( Velasqtiez). — The  first  wife 
of  Philip  IV,  and  mother  of  Don  Balthazar,  (of 
the  pony-picture)  and  sister  to  Henrietta  Maria. 
She  is  dressed  in  black  velvet  embroidered  with 
pearls,  and  seated  upon  a  white  horse.  A  very 
fine  and  stately  picture  of  a  beautiful  woman.  Her 
daughter  Maria  Theresa  married  Louis  XIV, 
through  which  alliance  he  based  his  claims  to 
the  Spanish  succession. 

Equestrian  Portraits  :  Philip  III  and  Queen 
Margaret  (of  Austria)  ( Velasquez). — Both  very 
much  to  be  admired.  Supposed  to  have  been 
copied  from  originals  by  Pantoja  de  la  Cruz. 
For,  Velasquez  was  not  painting  in  their  life- 
time. This  Oueen  seems  to  have  been  a  orood 
and  sensible  woman.  She  even  loved  her  weak 
and  gloomy  husband,  and  sought  to  cheer  the  man, 
(who  is  reported  to  have  smiled  but  once  in  his 
life,)  by  dancing  boleros  with  him.  Of  Philip,  one 
or  two  anecdotes  are  told.  It  is  said  that  he  was 
actually  sentenced  by  the  Holy  Inquisition  to  the 
punishment  of  bleeding  as  an  atonement,  for  having 

8 


114  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

shuddered  at  seeing  a  young  Jewess  consigned  to 
the  flames  at  an  "auto-da-fe"! 

He  came,  himself,  within  measurable  distance  of 
an  "auto-da-fe."  The  room  in  which  he  was 
seated  upon  one  occasion  became  overheated. 
It  was  against  etiquette  that  he  should  remove 
any  of  the  burning  coals  from  the  fire,  or  that 
he  should  remove  himself.  The  servant,  whose 
office  it  was  to  attend  to  such  matters,  could  not 
be  found.  It  was  not  the  etiquette  that  any  one 
else  should  meddle  with  the  fire.  In  the  meantime 
Philip  got  hotter  and  hotter,  and  by  the  time 
that  the  missing  servant  had  arrived,  the  Sovereign 
had  not  become  a  cinder,  but  had  contracted  a  fever 
from  which  he  had  not  strength  to  rally.  He  was 
entirely  governed  by  his  Chamberlain,  favourite, 
and  first  Minister,  the  Duque  de  Lerma.  But 
Philip,  despite  his  insignificance  of  character,  has 
been  placed  in  the  pillory  of  everlasting  infamy 
by  one  surpassing  crime.  The  expulsion  of  the 
Moriscoes.  The  immensity  of  the  wickedness  has 
rescued  him  from  oblivion. 

Don  Gaspar  de  Guzman  Conde,  Duque  de 
Olivarez. — One  of  Velasquez's  greatest  equestrian 
portraits  ;  so  well  known  from  replicas  and  copies. 
In  this  picture  the  horse  is  galloping  away  from 
the  spectator,  and  the  equestrian  duke,  whilst 
turning  a  sardonic  glance  over  his  shoulder  from 
his  treacherous  and  cruel  eyes,  has  got  perilously 
forward  upon  the  noble  animal's  neck.  Again,  it 
has  been  Velasquez's  fate  to  have  to  represent  one 
of  the  most  repulsive   of  faces.     Notwithstanding 


The  Conde-Di'QUE  of  Ouvarez. 

By   Velasquez. 


/•.«.-<?/>.  114. 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PR  ADO  115 

he  has  triumphed  nobly,  with  horse  and  over 
rider. 

The  rider  was  for  years  the  omnipotent  Minister 
of  Philip  IV.  When  he  was  in  power,  Charles  and 
Buckingham  came  down  to  Madrid,  to  seek  for 
the  sister  of  Philip  IV  as  a  bride  for  Charles. 
Buckingham  took  a  violent  aversion  to  Olivarez, 
and  was  in  return  heartily  disliked  by  the  Minister. 
Perhaps  the  animosities  of  the  two  favourites  may 
have  contributed  to  the  failure  of  the  expedition. 
Both  favourites — Olivarez  and  Buckingham — had 
risen  to  the  highest  rung  of  the  ladder  in  the 
estimation  of  their  Sovereigns. 

Both  were  to  experience  the  blows  of  untoward 
destiny.  Buckingham  fell  a  victim  to  the  dagger 
of  an  assassin.  Olivarez  was  relegated,  like 
Wolsey,  by  the  fiat  of  a  capricious  monarch  to 
meditate  in  obscurity  upon  the  excellence  of  the 
Psalmist's  counsel :  "  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes." 
Artists  only  could  do  that,  (and  it  is  something 
to  the  credit  of  Spanish  Kings,)  and  Olivarez  was 
a  great  lover  of  the  fine  arts  and  a  generous  patron 
of  artists.  He  shared  with  his  master  Philip  IV 
that  one  merit  at  least. 

Queen  Mariana,  Second  Wife  of  Philip  1 V  ( Velas- 
quez).— This  highly-rouged  lady  was  the  niece  of 
her  husband.  She  had  been  betrothed  to  Philip's 
son,  Balthazar  Carlos.  The  sadly  premature  death 
of  that  youth  left  her  disengaged,  and  so  she 
became  the  second  wife  of  Philip.  I  think  that 
Velasquez  must  have  portrayed  her  not  displeasing 
features  as  often  as  those  of  the  saturnine  Philip. 


116  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

There  is  more  than  one  picture  of  her  here,  and 
visitors  to  the  fine  show  of  Velasquez's  works  at 
the  Guildhall  in  the  year  1901  will  have  seen 
three  more  portraits  of  her.  Very  pink,  very  fair, 
with  her  hair  parted  on  one  side,  and  with  ample 
hoop,  she  makes  a  memorable  if  not  a  very  hand- 
some portrait.  Beauty,  so  fatefully  absent  from 
the  Spanish  line  of  monarchs  (indeed  that  family 
seems  to  have  disputed  with  the  Florence  Medici 
of  glorious  memory,  the  palm  for  plainness),  appears 
not  to  have  been  imported  by  marriage  into 
Castilian  blood.  Only  Isabel,  daughter  of  Henry 
Quatre,  Philip's  first  wife,  possessed  that  fatal  gift, 
and  she  died  too  early  to  make  much  impression 
upon  the  hopeless  stock.  Mariana  possessed,  how- 
ever, a  sense  of  humour,  and  showed  herself 
susceptible  to  the  fooleries  of  Court-jesters.  One 
cannot  imagine  why  such  creatures  were  appended 
to  Courts,  unless  to  make  a  little  diversion  for  their 
solemn  masters.  Yet  Philip  reproved  his  wife  for 
being  amused  by  their  antics,  and  pointed  out  to 
her  with  Spanish  gravity  that  Queens  of  Spain  did 
not  laugh.  Her  more  cheerful  disposition,  no  doubt 
enabled  her  to  outlive  Philip  and  to  observe,  (not 
with  laughter  I  fear,)  the  antics  of  her  half-crazy 
son,  Charles  II.  There  is  a  picture  here  of 
Mariana  in  widow's  dress.  It  is  by  Carreno  de 
Miranda,  who  was  portrait-painter  to  Charles  II, 
and  had  been  introduced  to  royal  notice  by  the 
ever  kindly  Velasquez  in  the  previous  reign. 

The    Crucifixion   {Velasquez). — It    seems    to    be 
the  very  moment  of  the  "  Eloi !  Eloi !  lama  sabach- 


To  face  p.  117. 


St.  Anthony's  Visit  to  St.  Paul. 
By  Velasquez. 


THE  MUS^O  DEL  PRADO  117 

thani  ?  "  when  the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  abandoned 
by  all,  believed  Himself  to  have  been  forsaken  by 
His  Father  also.  That  terrible  cry  of  insupportable 
anguish  seems  to  sound  in  our  very  ears,  as  we 
contemplate  this  sublime  and  solitary  Figure. 
Velasquez  must  have  rent  his  own  soul  in  realising 
the  awful  moment  which  he  has  here  pictured  with 
such  terrific  force  and  pathos.  Never  equalled,  I 
think,  by  any  artist,  unless  it  be  Guido  in  his 
picture  in  the  "  Lorenzo  in  Lucina "  Church  at 
Rome,  also  a  solitary  figure. 

St.  Pmd  of  Thebes  and  St.  Anthony  of  Alex- 
andria (Velasquez). — This  is  another  instance  of 
the  devout  artist  at  his  best.  It  is  instinct  with 
religious  sentiment  and  suffused  with  the  mystic 
glow  of  an  Egyptian  atmosphere.  The  conception 
and  treatment  of  the  subject  is  so  original,  and  yet 
you  are  somehow  reminded  of  the  best  moments  of 
John  Bellini  or  Mantegna.  These  two  Saints  had 
betaken  themselves  to  the  Egyptian  deserts,  trust- 
ing there  to  find  the  peace  and  tranquillity  of  soul 
which  their  own  cities  had  been  unable  to  afford 
them.  St.  Anthony,  as  we  know,  from  many  a 
legend  and  picture,  had  been  wrestling  with  the 
temptations  to  which  his  peculiar  temperament 
had  predisposed  him.  And  now,  in  the  desert, 
he  fights  and  strives  and  vanquishes  himself  and 
confides  to  the  crowds  who  visit  him  in  his 
seclusion  those  secrets  by  which  they  too  may 
gain  the  victory  over  the  flesh.  But  now  St. 
Anthony  is  assailed  by  another  tempter.  He 
has     only    just     issued     forth,     clean     and     pure, 


118  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

from  the  Scylla  of  Despond,  to  find  himself 
being  pulled  down  into  the  Charybdis  of  Self- 
Righteousness.  Then  a  dream  is  vouchsafed  to 
him.  He  is  directed  to  seek  the  counsels  and 
the  guidance  of  an  even  stauncher  brother, — of 
a  still  more  steadfast  Saint,  even  St.  Paul  of 
Thebes.  In  this  picture  we  see  in  three  scenes  the 
accomplishment  of  the  journey.  St.  Anthony  seeks 
admission  into  St.  Paul's  cave.  There  in  the  fore- 
ground of  the  picture  the  two  holy  men  are  seated 
together,  whilst  a  raven  ministers  to  their  bodily 
needs.  But  the  time  for  St.  Paul's  removal  from 
the  earthly  scene  has  now  arrived,  even  during 
the  visit  of  his  brother. 

There  two  lions  are  seen  digging  a  grave  meet 
for  the  dead  Saint,  and  wherein  the  much-travelled 
St.  Anthony  is  to  place  the  earthly  remains  of  his 
lately  found  and  revered  companion. 

The  final  scene  is  that  of  St.  Anthony  kneeling 
in  ecstatic  prayer,  prayer  for  himself  certainly,  and 
praise  to  God  for  the  translation  from  earth  to 
heaven  of  the  best  of  men. 

There  is  extraordinary  fascination  in  this  picture. 
The  point  of  view,  whence  it  was  painted,  is 
altogether  dissimilar  from  that  of  the  Spanish 
religious  painters. 

Teniers  has  a  picture  here  dealing  with  the  same 
subject. 

Las  Hilanderas  ( The  Weavers)  ( Velasquez). — 
The  beautiful  craft  of  weaving,  would  naturally 
enlist  the  sympathies  of  an  artist  such  as  Velasquez. 
Madrid  was  famous  once  for  the  productions  of  its 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PRADO  119 

looms,  famous  no  more,  I  fear.  Here  is  a  repre- 
sentation of  a  scene  which  Velasquez  saw  with  his 
own  eyes,  and  painted  with  the  truthfulness  and 
vigour  so  characteristic  of  him.  In  the  foreground 
an  old  woman  is  seated  at  her  wheel,  whilst  a  girl 
is  engaged  in  winding  off  the  spun  wool,  and  other 
girls,  less  inclined  for  work,  are  playing  with  a 
kitten.  In  the  background  a  possible  lady  purchaser 
is  examining  with  critical  eyes  a  piece  of  tapestry. 
The  light  and  atmosphere  of  the  picture  are  worthy 
of  Rembrandt. 

Portrait  of  Juana  de  Pacheco  {Velasquez). — For 
forty  years  the  devoted  wife  of  Velasquez.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Pacheco,  Velasquez's  master, 
from  whom,  however,  he  did  not  learn  much.  This 
portrait  is  not  that  of  a  beautiful  woman,  but  that 
of  a  simple  and  unpretentious  one.  She  nursed 
Velasquez  through  his  sudden  short  illness,  and 
died  eight  days  after  his  death.  That  looks  as 
though  her  grief  for  his  loss  had  been  aggravated 
by  fatigue. 

Don  Ferdinand  ( Velasquez). — A  manly  figure, 
not  a  handsome  man,  for  he  was  brother  to 
Philip  IV.  Like  him,  a  sportsman,  and  here 
represented  with  a  big  dog  and  gun.  He  was 
known  as  the  "  Cardinal  Infante."  An  infantine 
Cardinal  he  really  was,  in  the  curious  manner  of 
those  days,  and  also  gained  a  battle  early,  that 
of  Nordlin^en. 

He  died  very  young,  like  so  many  of  the 
princes  of  the  house,  aged  only  twenty-nine. 
This  is  one  of  Velasquez's  great  portraits.     Com- 


120  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

pare  this  with  Rubens'  and  Vandyke's  equestrian 
portraits  of  the  same  subject.  I  think  that  Velas- 
quez's great  qualities  of  disposition  shine  out 
upon  his  canvases.  A  portrait-painter  expresses 
himself  in  his  pictures,  nearly  as  much  as  his 
subjects.  Absolute  truthfulness  is  the  characteristic 
of  Velasquez.  He  never  beautifies  the  uncomely, 
or  softens  down  the  unbecoming-.  "  He  would  not 
flatter  Neptune  for  his  trident,  nor  Jove  for  his 
power  to  thunder."  Bos  well  said  once,  in  answer 
to  some  one  who  wished  the  great  Jove-Johnson's 
asperities  to  be  toned  down,  "  No ! — I  won't  cut 
off  his  claws,  and  I  won't  make  a  cat  of  a  tiger 
for  any  man's  pleasure." 

It  was  the  same  with  Velasquez  ;  he  was  truth- 
fulness itself.  And  that  I  take  to  be  the  mission 
of  great  painter  and  of  great  historian  alike.  And 
what  a  kind  and  generous  man  !  Nothing  small  or 
jealous  in  his  nature.  He  loved  the  unfamous 
artist,  as  much  as  he  loved  Art.  He  befriended 
all  who  sought  him.  It  was  his  happy,  self-chosen 
lot,  to  encourage  and  to  bring  forward  Murillo 
himself.  And  to  him  it  is  to  be  attributed,  that 
men  like  Zurbaran,  Claudio  Coello,  and  Carrefio  de 
Mirande,  did  not  have  to  wither  in  the  shade  of 
obscurity.  Even  in  the  wayward  nature  of  Ribera, 
his  kindly  eyes  detected  something  sympathetic, 
and  he  made  a  friend  of  that  turbulent  and  disturb- 
ing personality.  He  travelled  in  Italy  to  collect 
work,  especially  of  the  Venetian  School,  for  his 
master  Philip  IV.  Too  many  of  them  perished  in 
the    frequent  fires  which    have    destroyed    Madrid 


THE  MUSEO   DEL  PRADO  121 

Palaces,  but  there  are  still  some,  (especially  Tinto- 
rely)  to  remind  lovers  of  Art,  what  they  owe  in  so 
many  ways  to  the  great  Velasquez.     Not  the  least 
memorable  event  of  his  life  was  his  friendship  and 
admiration  for  Rubens.      Kindred  spirits  they  must 
have  been.     One  can  picture  those  two  consummate 
artists    and    most  genial   men  learning    from   each 
other  in  Madrid.      In  this  Gallery  we  are  so  over- 
powered by  the  best  works  of  Velasquez  and  Titian, 
that  certain  painters  of  great  note  are  liable  to  be 
overlooked;    Zurbaran,    for    instance,    1 598-1662. 
Those  who  have  seen  two  noble  pictures  of  his  in 
the   London   National    Gallery,   will    have    already 
become   acquainted    with    his   great   powers.     His 
three  best  here,  will  be  considered,  probably,  "  The 
Infant  Saviour  sleeping  upon  a  Cross,"  and  "San 
Pedro  Nolasco,"  a  Saint  of  the  13th  Century,  (also 
dressed  in  white,)  and  the   same   Saint,  transfixed 
upon  the  cross,  appearing  to  the  artist.      He  is  to 
be  better  studied   elsewhere,  especially  at  Seville. 
He  was  called  the  "  Caravaggio  of  Spain,"  but  he 
was  a  finer  artist,  I   think,  and  does  not  indulge  in 
the  exaggeration  of  style  peculiar  to  the  Neapolitan 
Master.     He  was  very  fond  of  representing  figures 
clothed  in  white,  especially  Carmelite  Monks.     In 
the  Guildhall  Exhibition  of  1901  there  was  a  noble 
picture  of  the  kind  called  "  Un  Fraile  Carmelite." 
Philip   IV   had    immense  admiration   for  him,   and 
going  one   day  into  the  artist's   studio,  placed  his 
hand   encouragingly    upon    the    painter's    shoulder, 
and  exclaimed  :  "  Painter  to  the  King,  and   King 
of   Painters !  "      The  foremost    portrait-painters  of 


122  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

Spain,  before  the  days  of  Velasquez,  were  Alonso 
Sanchez  Coello,  and  his  pupil,  Pantoja  de  la  Cruz, 
both  of  them  in  the  service  of  Philip  II.  The 
former  was  a  friend  of  Antonio  Moro,  who  also  was 
in  high  favour,  for  some  time,  with  Philip  II. 
A.  S.  Coello  might  be  termed  rather  the  Spanish 
Moro,  although  Philip  was  accustomed  to  call  him 
the  "El  Tiziano  Portuguez,"  and  further,  "my 
beloved  son "  !  Amongst  his  best  works  in  this 
Gallery  are:  "The  Infanta  C.  E.  Isabella,"  the 
much-beloved  daughter  of  Philip  II.  "His  mirror 
and  the  light  of  his  eyes."  He  bequeathed  the 
Netherlands  to  her,  and  a  very  large  share  of  his 
illimitable  bigotry.  She  made  a  vow  to  the  Virgin, 
that  she  would  not  change  her  linen  until  Ostend 
was  taken.  The  famous  siege  of  that  city  lasted 
for  three  years.  The  condition  of  her  underclothing 
when  the  place  was  finally  captured,  may  therefore 
be  described  as  "  indescribable."  An  idea  only 
may  be  formed  of  it  by  the  fact,  that  the  supposed 
hue  of  her  linen  was  the  origin  of  a  new  and 
fashionable  tint  called  "  Isabeau  "  ! 

Portrait  of  Antonio  Perez,  by  Alonso  Sanchez 
Coello  (15 1 3-1 590). — This  man  was  at  first  Secre- 
tary to  the  Prince  of  Eboli,  Minister  to  Philip  II, 
and  afterwards  Minister  himself.  He  became  the 
tool  and  accomplice  of  Philip  in  some  of  his  worst 
crimes.  He,  subsequently,  not  only  fell  from  power, 
but  was  imprisoned  for  long  years,  tortured,  and 
finally  buried,  in  the  dungeons  of  the  Inquisition. 
He  had  the  luck,  however,  to  be  rescued,  thanks  to 
a  popular  insurrection.     He  escaped  to  France  and 


THE   MUSEO   DEL  PRADO  123 

soon  afterwards  to  England,  where  he  published  an 
account  of  his  sufferings  and  those  of  his  wife  and 
family.  But  he  never  returned  to  Spain,  and  worn 
out  by  disgrace  and  misfortunes,  died  in  poverty  at 
Paris. 

Don  Carlos  (Sanchez  Coello). — As  a  boy  of 
twelve  or  fourteen.  He  died  mysteriously,  aged 
twenty-four.  He  was  the  son  of  Philip's  "first 
wife  "  Maria  of  Portugal,  who  died  a  few  days  after 
his  birth.  Isabella  of  France,  Philip's  third  wife,  to 
whom  Don  Carlos  had  himself  been  betrothed,  showed 
great  sympathy  and  compassion  for  the  youth  during 
his  quarrels  with  his  father,  and  his  subsequent 
imprisonment.  She  also  died  mysteriously  within 
three  months  of  her  step-son's  tragic  death.  It  was 
natural  that  her  death,  as  well  as  that  of  Don  Carlos, 
should  have  been  attributed  to  Philip's  jealousy. 
There  are  no  proofs,  but  strong  suspicions,  and 
upon  such  Schiller  has  founded  his  dramatic 
romance.  There  are  several  other  portraits  of  the 
princesses  of  Philip's  house  to  be  seen  here,  and  all 
are  good.  Sanchez  Coello's  famous  copies  of 
Titian's  "  Prometheus "  and  "  Sisyphus,"  have 
already  been  referred  to.  Sanchez  Coello  also 
devoted  his  talents  to  the  painting  of  religious 
subjects,  but  not  with  any  marked  success. 
Observe  another  most  excellent  Portrait  of  a  Lady 
dressed  in  white. 

Juan  Pantoja  de  la  Cruz  (i 551-1609),  his  pupil, 
was  his  worthy  successor,  as  a  portrait-painter.  It 
is  very  probable,  that  the  fine  equestrian  portraits 
of  Philip  III,  and  his  wife,   Margaret,  which   bear 


124  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

the  name  of  "  Velasquez,"  were  painted  almost 
entirely  by  Pantoja,  for  Velasquez  never  saw  those 
royal  personages. 

Portrait  of  Charles  V  [Pantoja). — A  copy  from 
some  picture  (artist  unknown).  A  very  striking 
picture  nevertheless.  Pantoja  signs  himself  thereon 
"  Traductor." 

Philip  II  [Pantoja). — One  of  the  best,  and 
certainly  most  interesting  portraits  here.  Philip  is 
presented  in  his  sixtieth  year,  old  and  grey-headed, 
with  a  rosary  in  his  hand,  every  bead  of  which 
represents  a  crime.  Bigotry  and  intolerance  are 
the  only  expressions  of  that  expressionless  and  too 
faithfully  rendered  countenance.  One  wonders 
what  Philip  thought  of  his  own  portrait.  He  was 
not  without  vanity,  it  is  said,  and  touchy  upon  the 
subject  of  grey  hair.  Pantoja  does  not  seem  to 
have  turned  his  attention  to  religious  subjects,  like 
his  master  Coello.  Pantoja  may  be  looked  upon, 
I  suppose,  as  the  third  in  rank  of  the  great  portrait- 
painters.  As  regards  the  religious  Art  of  Spain, 
previous  to  Velasquez,  and  Murillo,  I  do  not  per- 
ceive any  striking  instance  of  original  genius.  It  is 
to  be  remembered  that  Italian  or  Flemish  Art 
dominated  the  earlier  School,  so  much,  that  we  can 
scarcely  find  a  Spanish  picture  that  rises  above  the 
level  of  the  second-rate  artists  of  those  countries. 
Spanish  Art  was  a  singularly  late  one.  The  en- 
couragement of  Italian  artists  by  the  Spanish 
Monarchs,  from  a  date  as  early  even  as  that  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  the  overwhelming 
influence  of  Titian,   especially,  must   have   contri- 


THE  MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  125 

buted  to  the  tardy  dawn  of  an  independent  Art  in 
Spain.  Again,  the  baleful  influence  of  the  Inqui- 
sition more  than  explains,  the  absence  of  originality 
in  Spanish  treatment  of  religious  subjects.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  cause,  it  is  certain  that 
there  never  was  in  Spain,  the  spontaneous  and 
prodigal  outburst  of  Art, — that  prodigious  mani- 
festation of  the  aspirations  and  the  yearnings  for 
the  divine-in-life  of  an  entire  nation,  and  which  we 
call  the  Italian  Renaissance.  Such  Art  as  there 
was  in  Spain,  was  never  a  national  movement. 
Pictures  for  churches,  the  decoration  of  chapels,  and 
altars,  (but  always  strictly  in  conformity  with  the 
conventional  treatment  prescribed  by  the  Inquisi- 
tion,) would  naturally  be  required.  Where  there 
was  a  great  Cathedral  for  instance,  as  at  Toledo, 
Antonio  Rincon,  and  his  pupils  e.g.,  may  be  con- 
sidered as  the  earliest  of  Spanish  artists  employed 
in  that  way.  Even  then,  the  date  would  not  be 
previous  to  the  middle  of  the  15th  Century.  Too 
often  it  was  by  artistic  monks,  that  such  works 
were  to  be  carried  out,  and  it  was  not  probable  that 
the  treatment  would  be  considered  from  an  original 
point  of  view. 

Pictures  such  as  these  may  often  interest,  and  in 
certain  instances,  may  awake  admiration.  But,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge,  you  will  not  meet 
in  Spain,  with  any  works  of  this  epoch  that  would 
bear  comparison  with  those  of  the  best  second-class 
works  in  Italy.  J.  Van  Eyck  travelled  once  in 
Portugal  and  Spain,  and  doubtless,  the  influence  of 
that  extraordinary  artist  may  have  long  rested   in 


126  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

the  country,  and  have  been  handed  down  by- 
inferior  artists  to  the  days  of  Rincon,  and  later,  of 
Moralez.  But  I  should  not  say,  with  the  exception, 
perhaps,  of  the  latter  artist,  and  of  Juanez,  1523, 
that  any  one  in  Spain  in  the  early  16th  Century 
ever  rose  to  the  best  level  of  Mabuse  or  Matsys. 

As  regards  Italy,  I  doubt  whether  any  Spanish 
artists,  before  the  days  of  Murillo,  approached 
Lorenzo  d.  Credi,  or  the  Lippis.  Juanez,  1523, 
whose  best  works  are  in  Valencia,  excellent  also 
as  a  portrait-painter.  Alonzo  Carlo,  (but  here  we 
come  to  the  days  of  Murillo,)  and  works  of  his  date 
may  be  considered  as  we  meet  them. 

One  remark,  en  passant,  may  be  added  about 
Spanish  Art.  That  is,  as  regards  Landscape 
Painting,  or  rather  the  nearly  total  absence  of  it. 
One  would  have  thought,  that  Granada  at  least, 
which  has  been  such  a  fruitful  scene  of  inspiration 
to  Spanish  artists  of  late  years,  would  have 
furnished  subjects  to  some  Spanish  Claude  or 
Poussin.  But  save  a  few  of  Velasquez,  in  that 
branch  of  Art,  there  are  scarcely  any  landscapes  to 
be  seen.  Perhaps,  the  prevalent  yellows  and  browns 
of  Spanish  landscapes,  may  have  deterred  artists 
from  expending  their  talents  in  that  field ! 

But,  whatever  may  be  the  merits,  or  demerits,  of 
the  Spanish  Religious  School,  the  best  exemplars 
are  not  to  be  found  in  this  Gallery.  I  speak  of 
artists,  of  course  other  than  Velasquez,  Murillo, 
Ribera,  and  Zurbaran. 

Moralez  (1 509-1 586). — "Ecce  Homo"  and  "Vir- 
gen  de  los  Dolores." 


THE  MUS^O  DEL  PRADO  127 

Painted  in  the  marked  devotional  style,  charac- 
teristic of  this  master,  but  showing  the  influence  of 
the  Flemish  School,  and  in  no  way  dissimilar  to  the 
usual  treatment  observable  in  the  works  of  that 
School.  Moralez  was  styled  "El  Divino" — because 
he  devoted  himself  to  the  portrayal  of  sacred  heads. 

Juan  de  Juanez  (1523). — A  series  of  pictures 
representing  the  "Martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen,"  and 
"  The  Last  Supper."  I  imagine  Juanez  to  be  the 
greatest  of  the  Prse-Murillo  School.  But  it  is  at 
Valencia,  where  his  works  abound,  that  his  great 
talents  are  to  be  appreciated.  He  studied  in  Rome, 
under  Raphael's  pupils,  and  has  been  rather  extra- 
vagantly styled  the  "Spanish  Raphael."  He  re- 
garded his  profession  as  a  sacred  calling,  and  was 
accustomed  to  pray,  and  even  to  receive  the  Holy 
Sacrament,  before  commencing  a  picture.  Another 
picture  of  Juanez'  may  be  noted,  "  The  Visitation." 
Fine,  yet  not  so  original  in  treatment,  as  to  give  a 
just  idea  of  his  powers.  "  The  Descent  from  the 
Cross  "  is  a  better  instance. 

Navarate  el  Mudo  (1526-1579). — "The  Bap- 
tism." It  is  rather  from  the  touching  circumstances 
of  this  artist  having  been  deaf  and  dumb,  than  from 
the  superlative  merits  of  the  artist  that  this  picture 
will  interest  the  spectator.  He  was  a  careful  student 
of  Titian,  and  may  even  have  met  him  at  Venice. 
Philip  II  had  a  regard  for  him,  and  this  work  was 
painted  for  the  King's  colossal  Mausoleum,  the 
"  Escurial."  His  works  at  the  Escurial  have  been 
immensely  admired. 

An   Auto-da-Ft?  (A.  Berrugette,   1480-1545). — 


128  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

There  are  several  reasons  why  this  picture  should 
be  looked  at  and  remembered.  It  is  the  first  repre- 
sentation of  such  a  subject,  and  it  is  presided 
over  by  "Saint"  Domingo  de  Guzman;  the  Holy 
Inquisitor. 

It  makes  one  shudder  to  think,  that  the  "  Holy  " 
ceremony  in  all  probability  conduced  to  the  Saint's 
canonisation.  A  course  of  his  "miracles,"  appro- 
priately enough,  are  to  be  seen  close  to  the  above 
picture  of  horrors.  Berrugette  has  given  his  name 
to  the  "  Cinque-cento"  architecture  in  Spain,  and  he 
is  therefore  sure  of  immortality.  His  pictures  are 
very  few,  and  doubts  have  been  thrown  upon  the 
above.  But  he  seems,  nevertheless,  to  have  been 
"painter"  to  Charles  V  and  Philip  II.  But  as 
architect,  and  sculptor,  he  is  really  famous,  and  he 
was  actually  one  of  Michael  Angelo's  pupils. 

Of  Ribalta  (i  551-1628),  one  of  the  most 
famous  of  the  School  of  Valencia  and  master  to 
Ribera,  there  appear  to  be  but  two  in  this  Gallery. 
They  give  a  very  high  idea  of  his  powers.  One 
represents  "  An  angel  appearing  to  St.  Francis." 
(The  "  lamb  "  in  the  picture  was  the  favourite  com- 
panion of  the  Saint.)  The  other  is  "Christ  sup- 
ported by  angels." 

Juan  Roelas  (1558-1625). — Of  this  painter  there 
appears  to  be  one  example  in  this  Gallery,  and 
even  the  authenticity  of  that  is  doubted — "  Moses 
striking  the  Rock."  At  Seville,  Roelas's  native 
city,  his  works  are  numerous. 

Juan  de  Pareja,  the  half-caste  servant  of  Velas- 
quez, must  be  referred  to,  in  a  fine  work  entitled, 


THE   MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  129 

"  The  Calling  of  St.  Matthew,"  and  one  which, 
curiously  enough,  does  not  recall  the  style  of  his 
Master  (doubly  his  Master  ! ). 

His  history  is  a  touchingly  curious  one.  As  a 
servant,  or  a  slave  (for  it  appears  that  any  of  the 
hated  and  lately  expelled  races,  still  existent  in 
Spain  had  not  the  rights  of  men)  it  fell  to  his  lot  to 
look  after  Velasquez's  paints  and  brushes.  But 
during  his  services  in  Velasquez's  studio,  he  became 
inspired  by  his  master's  talents,  and  when  alone 
would  attempt  to  do  likewise.  He  accompanied 
Velasquez  to  Rome,  and  there  also,  he  studied  and 
imitated  in  secret.  One  day,  Philip  IV,  a  constant 
visitor  to  the  great  artist's  studio,  saw  hanging  upon 
the  wall  a  picture  reversed.  He  had  it  put  before 
him,  and  at  once  asked  for  the  name  of  the  painter. 
The  slave  fell  at  the  monarch's  feet,  and  acknow- 
ledged his  own  art-child.  This  incident  gave  rise 
to  one  of  Philip's  gracious  speeches  to  artists.  "  A 
man  who  can  paint  like  that  must  not  remain  a 
slave."  But  Pareja,  though  a  free  man  hence- 
forward, could  not  leave  the  studio  of  a  master  so 
honoured  and  admired.  You  will  see,  in  the  back- 
ground of  this  picture,  the  dark  features  of  the 
faithful  artist-servant.  I  know  not  if  this  picture  be 
the  one  discovered  by  King  Philip. 

Alonzo  di  Carlo. — "  Virgin  and  Child."  "St. 
Benedict."  "The  dead  Christ."  To  my  mind 
Alonzo  di  Cano  is  the  most  pleasing  of  all  the  lesser 
lights  of  the  Spanish  School.  In  his  predilection 
for  the  less  than  life-size  of  some  of  his  works,  in  his 
grouping,  and  even  in  his  colouring,   he    distantly 

9 


130  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

resembles  Titian.  He  has  been,  (surely  very  ab- 
surdly,) styled  the  Spanish  Michael  Angelo.  Such 
titles,  and  they  abound  in  Spain,  always  damage 
the  artist's  reputation.  He  has  eight  works  here, 
all  pleasing.  But  he,  like  so  many  other  Spanish 
artists,  is  most  favourably  seen  elsewhere  in 
Spain. 

Alonzo  Cafio  was  also  a  priest,  and  a  sculptor, 
likewise  a  friend  of  Velasquez.  Philip  IV  had  a 
regard  for  him  and  had  him  made  a  Canon  of 
Granada  Cathedral.  The  Chapter  did  not  like  it, 
or  him,  and  remonstrated.  To  which  Philip  made 
reply,  "  I  can  make  you  all  canons  ;  God  Almighty 
alone  can  make  an  Alonzo  Cano."  Perhaps  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  married,  caused  the  Chapter 
to  object.  Anyhow  he  was  a  very  religious  and 
charitable  man.  He  also  was  the  pupil  of  Pacheco, 
father-in-law,  and  second  master  of  Velasquez. 
Many  of  his  works  are  to  be  seen  elsewhere  in 
Spain.  His  statues  and  sculptures  at  Toledo,  and 
elsewhere,  are  noteworthy. 

Del  Mazo  (1630- 1687). — Although  not  a  painter 
of  religious  subjects,  this  artist's  works  are  much 
prized,  both  for  their  own  very  great  merits  and  for 
the  fact  that  some  of  them  have  been  taken  for 
original  Velasquezes.  He  was  one  of  the  great 
artist's  pupils,  and  married  his  master's  daughter. 
"  Don  Tibuecio  do  Redin  "  is  one  of  his  great  por- 
traits. Look  also  at  his  "  Zaragossa,"  a  fine  land- 
scape, with  figures,  the  latter  needlessly  attributed  to 
Velasquez.  He  painted  a  portrait  of  the  often- 
depicted  young  "  Balthazar  Carlos,"  son  of  Philip  IV. 


THE   MUSEO   DEL  PRADO  131 

Indeed,  after  the  death  of  Velasquez,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Court  Painter  to  that  Monarch. 

Villaviciencio,  a  pupil  and  friend  of  Murillo  (who 
died  in  his  arms),  excelled  in  the  representation  of 
peasants,  and  "  ragged  boys,"  such  as  his  master 
delineated  with  such  brilliant  success.  There  is 
one  such  picture  here,  quite  a  Murillo,  "  Boys  play- 
ing at  Dice."  It  is  said,  that  many  such  works  of 
his,  in  European  Galleries,  are  attributed  to  Murillo. 
Certainly,  the  Munich  series  of  five  such  subjects, 
however,  can  be  assigned  only  to  Murillo.  Never 
did  that  great  artist  paint  more  brilliantly,  and 
successfully  than  in  those  extraordinary  representa- 
tions of  Spanish  peasant-boys.  It  is  surprising 
that  the  second,  Coello,  Claudio  Coello,  should  be  so 
little  to  the  fore  in  this  Gallery.  His  greatest  work, 
1  La  Santa  Forma,"  it  is  true,  may  be  seen  at  the 
Escurial.  But  he  was  a  fine  portrait-painter,  like 
his  namesake  of  the  days  of  Philip  II.  He  was 
nominated  by  Philip  IV  as  one  of  the  Royal 
painters,  and  was  employed  by  that  Monarch  chiefly 
at  the  Escurial.  He  is  generally  considered  as  the 
last  of  the  great  Spanish  painters  of  the  Prse-Goya 
epoch,  at  least.  He  is  said  to  have  died  from 
jealousy  of  the  irrepressible  Luca  Giordano,  to 
whom  had  been  entrusted  the  decoration  of  the 
Grand  staircase  of  the  Escurial.  The  ceiling  above 
was  painted  in  seven  months  by  "  Luca-fa-pres- 
tissimo !  " 

Carreilo  de  Miranda  (1614—1685),  cotemporary 
with  C.  Coello,  has  here  a  portrait  of  Charles  II, 
one    very  life-like,   if  the  term   can   be   considered 


132  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

appropriate  of  a  poor  creature,  who  was  never  but 
half-alive.  His  most  animated  moments  were  those 
spent  at  "auto-da-fes."  His  only  redeeming  quality 
was  his  adoration  for  his  beautiful  Queen,  Marie 
Louise  d'Orleans,  daughter  of  the  equally  beautiful 
"  Madame."  She,  like  her  mother,  died  young  and 
like  her  after  a  mysteriously  sudden  illness  of  two 
or  three  days.  The  Kingdom  of  Spain  passed  into 
French  hands  after  Charles's  death,  and  the  country 
was  devastated  by  the  "  War,'"  known  as  that  of 
"  The  Spanish  Succession."  Truly  the  Spanish 
Race  is  a  strange  one.  You  are  lost  in  wonder,  that 
Spaniards  should  have  endured  for  fifteen  years,  the 
imbecile  rule  of  a  man  like  Charles,  and  then,  that 
they  should  have  suffered  themselves  "  bag  and 
baggage,"  to  be  handed  over,  as  though  they  were  the 
King's  personal  effects,  to  his  nearest  neighbour.  A 
good  artist,  though,  Carreno  de  Miranda,  as  this, 
and  another  portrait,  the  Mother  of  Charles,  in  her 
widow's  dress,  and  a  portrait  of  a  buffoon  of  Charles, 
named  "  Francisco  Bazan,"  testify.  Also  to  be 
remarked  Potemkin,  Russian  Ambassador  to  the 
Spanish  King.  To  exhaust  the  list  of  Spanish 
artists  in  the  Gallery,  the  name  of  Francisco  Rizi 
must  be  mentioned.  In  his  picture  of  an  auto-da-fe, 
of  the  year  of  grace  1680  (little  over  two  hundred 
years  ago),  Charles  has  been  made  an  inheritor  of 
undying  disgrace,  and  not  Charles  only,  but  his  wife 
and  mother,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  Spanish  Court, 
the  hidalgoes,  and  the  high-born  of  both  sexes,  are 
gathered  together  in  their  bravest  attire,  and  most 
elaborate  toilettes,    upon   "grand   stands,"  smiling 


THE   MUS^O   DEL   PRADO  133 

and  sparkling,  to  feast  their  ogling  eyes  upon  their 
fellow-creatures  being  agonised,  and  done  to  death, 
because — because  they  did  not  believe  in  a  wafer 
being  the  body  of  Christ,  because  they  did  not 
believe  that  the  Grand  Inquisitor  was  the  appointed 
Minister  of  God  upon  earth,  or  that  the  Roman 
Pontiff  was  immaculately  conceived,  or  that  all  those 
gaudily  dressed  sovereigns  and  courtiers,  in  those 
boxes  up  there,  were  saints  from  Heaven.  So,  all 
these  poor  huddled-together  creatures,  so  piteously 
weeping,  so  crying  out  for  mercy,  so  bereft  of  all 
that  made  earth  desirable,  and  so  stripped  of  all  the 
hopes  that  Heaven  had  promised  and  all  mocked  at 
in  grotesque  costumes,  one  and  all  to  be  butchered 
to  make  a  Spanish  holiday!  It  is  because  of  such 
things  having  been  possible,  having  been,  that  the 
Spanish  Monarchy  met  its  "  Mene,  mene,  tekel 
upharsin."  It  is  because  that  such  horrors  were 
enacted  two  hundred  years  ago,  that  Spain  almost 
passed  away  from  the  ken  of  nations,  that  her 
history  since  then,  has  been  one  constant  record 
of  blood,  bloodshed,  battles,  rebellion,  massacre  ; 
of  evil  monarchs,  corrupt  statesmen,  Messalina- 
Oueens. 

Happier  days  have  now  commenced.  Let  us 
pray  and  hope,  that  her  long  penance  may  at  last 
have  ceased. 

Coxes  ( 1 577-1 642)  must  not  be  omitted  from  a 
list  of  Spanish  painters,  no  less  so,  because  of  his 
"  Philip  IV  " — a  masterly  portrait,  and  of  which 
the  London  National  Gallery  possesses  a  replica. 
Remark,  too,   "  Siege  of  Cadiz  by  the  English  in 


134  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

1625,"  under  Lord  Wimbledon.  Of  Goya,  "  ulti- 
mus  Romanorum  "  of  the  Spanish  School,  as  Tie- 
polo  was  of  the  Venetian,  a  versatile,  original,  and 
sometimes  powerful  master,  this  Gallery  possesses 
very  numerous  examples.  He  had  the  ill-luck  to 
have  to  portray  the  Kings,  Queens,  and  families  of 
the  Bourbon  race,  who  excelled,  if  it  were  possible 
to  do  so,  in  eccentric  uncomeliness,  those  of  the 
Spanish  Royal  Race. 

There  are  many  works  of  this  painter  in  England, 
a  large  number  of  which  found  their  way  into  the 
Guildhall  Exhibition  of  the  year  1901. 

However  wanting  in  examples  of  Florentine  Art, 
and  of  other  Schools  of  Italy,  this  Gallery  may  be, 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  Dutch  and  Flemish  Artists 
are  very  numerously,  and,  in  many  instances, 
worthily  represented.  The  Spanish  Monarchs  had 
unequalled  opportunities  for  the  acquisition,  not 
only  of  the  great  works  of  Rubens,  Vandyke,  and 
Antonio  Moro,  but  also  those  of  the  Teniers, 
Breughel,  Wouverman,  Bosch,  Van  der  Weyden, 
Cranach,  Patrin,  and  others.  But  the  one  Van 
Eyck  here,  is  worth  all  the  latter.  I  should  con- 
sider it  as  nearly  rivalling  the  immortal  "  Adoration 
of  the  Lamb  "  at  Ghent.  It  is  said  to  represent 
the  "  Triumph  of  the  Church  over  the  Synagogue." 
In  the  upper  portion  of  the  Picture  appears  the 
Almighty  with  the  Lamb  at  His  feet.  Below 
are  a  vast  crowd  of  angels,  saints,  and  doctors 
carrying  the  sacred  emblems  of  the  Mass  in  the 
midst  of  Gothic  Architecture  and  grouped   round 


The  Triumph  of  the  Church. 
By  Hubert  Van  Eyck. 


To  face  p   134. 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PRADO  135 

fountains  through  which  runs  a  stream  proceed- 
ing from  the  Throne  of  God.  It  is  a  miracle  of 
minute  work,  and  permeated  with  a  mystical  spirit 
of  holiness,  impressive  beyond  words.  The  finish 
of  the  details  is  wonderful,  and  the  freshness  of  the 
picture  astonishing.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the 
greatest,  as  it  is  one  of  the  rarest  works,  of  that 
early  School,  that  has  come  down  to  our  times.  I 
have  been  on  thorns,  since  first  seeing  it,  for  fear 
lest  I  should  hear  that  it  was  a  copy.  Who  knows  ? 
That  terrible  Luca  Giordano  was  capable  of  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  imitation,  and  there's  many 
a  super-eminent  master  here  and  elsewhere,  that 
would  be  proud  to  claim  for  his  own,  some  startling 
copy  of  his  handiwork  by  the  Neapolitan  Proteus. 
That  despair,  and  wonder  of  the  17th  Century, 
known  as  "  Luca-fa-presto,"  was  summoned  from 
Italy  by  Philip  IV,  ever  on  the  qui  vive  for  talent, 
with  the  desire  chiefly,  of  employing  him  in  the 
decoration  of  the  Escurial. 

Luca  came,  and  drove  every  one  half  mad  with 
jealousy,  and  envy.  Claudio  Coello  died  because 
of  him.  But  Luca  went  on  throwing  up  his 
scaffoldings,  and  painting  ceilings,  and  roofs,  and 
behaving  rather  like  an  Art  electrical-machine, 
than  an  everyday  artist.  Even  in  this  Gallery, 
there  are  fifty-five  pictures  of  his.  And  there  is  not 
a  Gallery  in  Europe  which  is  not  made  more  glad 
by  his  ubiquitous  presence.  The  pity  was,  that  with 
his  enormous  talents,  he  should  have  preferred  to 
show  all  artists  that  he  could  equal  them  in  their 
own   styles,  upon    their   own   ground,   rather   than 


136  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

paint  masterpieces  of  his  own  "  Nullius  addictus 
jurare  in  verba  magistri."  Rather  than  be  himself, 
he  elected  to  "  pose  "  as  all  the  Masters. 

He  presents  himself  in  the  jousts  of  Art  ready  to 
combat  all  the  past-masters  of  the  Art.  He  over- 
comes many  with  their  own  weapons  and  unhorses 
most  of  those  who  oppose  him.  Then  he  rides 
off,  and  disappears.  No  one  has  been  much 
hurt,  but  everybody's  "  tone "  has  been  a  little 
lowered.  He  is  the  Freooli  of  Art.  He  outdoes 
Tintoretto,  who  blazoned  over  his  studio  door, 
"The  colouring  of  Titian  and  the  composition  of 
Michael  Angelo." 

He  waves  away  with  a  sweep  of  his  magic  brush 
the  infallibilities  of  imperious  oracles,  such  as  Titian, 
with  his  "  black,  red  and  white,  and  all  well  in 
hand."  He  wrests  from  their  glowing  palettes  the 
secrets  of  Rubens,  and  Tintoretto,  and  of  Titian 
and  Raphael.  He  will  weave  you  a  Correggio, 
with  all  the  magical  chiaro-oscuro  of  that  painter, 
and  he  will  delineate  you  a  Venus  or  a  Danae,  such 
as  might  cause  Titian  uneasy  tremors  in  his 
Venetian  Mausoleum.  Luca  is  startling  here,  in 
two  pictures  especially.  Naturally,  I  was  at  first 
taken  in,  for  I  was  murmuring,  "What  a  Rubens ! " 
"  And  that  Raphael  is  far  more  Raphaelesque  than 
the  Perla ! "  Now  I  would  call  in  any  Royal 
Academician  you  will  and  ask  him.  But  the  pic- 
tures are,  first,  Rubens'  "  Peace  driving  away  War." 
Rubens  is  seated  at  his  easel  in  the  centre  of  the 
picture.  He  is  as  well  dressed  as  ever,  with  his 
plumed  hat  upon  his  head  as  we  know  him  so  well  in 


THE  MUS^O   DEL  PRADO  137 

pictures  of  his  own,  and  he  is  engaged  (I  suppose) 
in  dashing  off  the  congenial  bravuras  of  the 
"  Triumph  of  Peace  "  which  Luca  has  depicted  in 
a  grand  flourish  a  la  Rubens,  quite  in  the  style  and 
colour  of  the  great  Fleming  Artist.  And  then 
straight  from  this  Rubens  "impressions,"  to  be 
whisked  off  to  a  Luca  Giordano  "  after  "  Raphael ! 
A  lovely  Madonna  and  Holy  Family  with  the  little 
St.  John  kissing  the  foot  of  the  Infant  Jesus. 
And  neither  artist  would  have  felt  humiliated  to 
have  claimed  as  his  own  one  of  those  surprising 
facsimiles.  And  yet  Luca  cannot  be  said  to  have 
had  no  "convictions."  He  is  himself  every  now 
and  then  ;  e.g.,  two  or  three  very  fine  works  in  the 
S.  Maria  della  Salute  in  Venice,  and  in  a  tremendous 
tour  de  force  in  the  Church  of  the  Gerolomini  at 
Naples  in  which  our  Saviour  is  depicted  with  all 
the  force  of  Rubens  or  Tintoretto,  as  in  a  whirl- 
wind of  wrath,  putting  to  flight  the  vendors  of  all 
kinds  of  merchandise  out  of  the  Temple.  There 
can  never  be  another  Luca-fa-presto,  and  though 
in  the  cause  of  Art  perhaps  it  were  not  to  be  wished, 
yet,  if  there  were,  how  one  might  fill  one's  private 
gallery  with  "  undoubted "  Rubens  and  Morones, 
and  with  how  many  other  notable  works. 

Antonio  Moro. — I  think  that  for  an  adequate 
notion  of  what  Antonio  Moro  is  at  his  best,  one 
must  visit  Madrid.  Charles  V  first  made  him 
welcome  here,  and  also  sent  him  to  England,  to 
paint  that  fine  and  most  realistic  portrait  of  Queen 
Mary  for  his  son  Philip. 

The    painter    brought   it    back   with    him,    and 


138  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

strange  to  say  it  did  not  cause  Philip  to  renounce 
at  once,  and  for  ever,  any  idea  of  mating  with  his 
singularly  uncomely  cousin.  He  could  never  com- 
plain that  he  had  not  had  the  bare  and  ugly  truth 
presented  to  him,  (unlike  his  great  uncle  by  mar- 
riage, Henry,  who  incontinently,  and  in  high-swelling 
disgust,  packed  off  Anne  of  Cleves,  so  falsely  had 
his  Court-Artist  misrepresented  her). 

Poor  Mary !  here  she  looks  capable  of  all  the 
worst  crimes  of  bigotry  and  fanaticism,  and  had  she 
lived  a  little  with  her  congenial  spouse,  what  refine- 
ments of  torture  surpassing  all  previous  attempts  in 
that  line,  might  not  she  and  Philip  have  contrived 
together ! 

There  is  another  very  cross  lady  here,  (possibly 
one  of  Philip's  daughters).  She  has  a  very  cleverly 
painted  dog  under  her  arm. 

A.  Moro  certainly  did  not  flatter.  Rather  too 
blunt  also,  in  his  ways.  For  Philip  II  one  day, 
whilst  standing  over  his  favourite  painter's  work, 
placed  his  arm  approvingly  round  the  artist's  neck. 
A.  Moro,  so  far  from  being  flattered  by  this  mark 
of  condescension,  responded  by  dabbing  his  wet 
brush  upon  the  Royal  Hand.  It  is  not  surprising, 
therefore,  that  the  Artist's  brush  was  not  afterwards 
in  any  request  at  all.  Indeed,  it  is  said,  that  the 
Inquisition,  suspiciously  soon  after  this  little  ad- 
venture, was  not  quite  satisfied  about  the  religious 
opinions  of  the  Dutch  Fleming  Artist,  and  that  his 
departure  from  Spain  was  much  accelerated  in 
consequence. 

Some  of   his    best   portraits  here  may  be  men- 


THE   MUS^IO   DEL   PRADO  139 

tioned.  "Queen  of  Portugal"  (Sister  of  Charles  V). 
Parjeron,  a  Jester,  a  masterpiece.  "  Princess 
Juana  "  (daughter  of  Charles  V).  "  The  Emperor 
Maximilian  and  his  wife  Donna  Maria "  (daughter 
of  Charles  V).  But  all  the  portraits  by  Antonio 
Moro  are  good.  They  are  generally  of  ladies, 
Spanish  or  Austrian  Princesses.  But  in  many  cases 
their  identity  has  been  lost,  or  not  established. 

Sir  A.  Moro  was  knighted  by  Queen  Mary  in 
acknowledgment,  I  suppose,  of  his  services  in 
painting  her  portrait. 

Raphael. — The  one  disappointment,  (it  is  a  con- 
siderable one,)  of  this  Gallery  is  that  the  glorious 
name  of  Raphael,  should  be  associated  with  so 
many  pictures  unworthy  of  his  fame.  Your  feeling 
is  that  your  beloved  Raphael  has  broken  faith  with 
you.  The  most  Raphaelesque,  and  best  preserved, 
are  two  small  pictures,  one  called  the  "Agnus  Dei," 
and  the  other  "A  Holy  Family,"  in  which  the 
Infant  Saviour  is  mounted  upon  a  Lamb.  The 
latter  also  might  be  called  an  "  Agnus  Dei."  But 
the  former  has  been  thus  termed,  because  the 
Infant  St.  John  holds  a  scroll  inscribed  with  those 
words.  It  should  more  appropriately  be  termed, 
"  della  Lucerta,"  from  the  lizard  that  is  eliding 
from  beneath  a  broken  column.  Indeed,  I  believe 
that  it  has  been  so  named.  Both  these  pictures 
are  full  of  the  religious  beauty,  and  serenity, 
peculiar  to  Raphael,  and  they  have  not  been 
tampered  with,  and  discoloured — or  miscoloured, 
like  most  of  the  others  of  his. 

'  La  Perla  "   (so  called,  as  all  the  world  knows, 


140  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

from  Philip's  delight  in  it,)  has  been  terribly  mal- 
treated. It  was  painted  for  the  Duke  of  Mantua, 
obtained  from  him  by  Charles  I,  and  came  into 
the  hands  of  Philip  IV,  with  forty-three  others  of 
the  collection  formed  by  our  ill-starred  King.  One 
can  scarcely  doubt  that  the  hand  of  Raphael 
designed  it.  But  to  whom  is  owing  the  black-red, 
confused  colouring  ?  That  we  shall  never  know. 
The  Virgin  is  sweetness  itself,  but  her  legs  are  out 
of  drawing,  and  the  St.  Anne  is  out  of  temper. 
Philip  paid  ,£2,000  for  this  picture,  an  enormous 
sum  for  that  time.  It  must  have  been  quite 
another  work  then.  By  its  inevitable  journey  to 
Paris  in  Napoleonic  times,  it  could  not  have  been 
improved.  Near  "  La  Perla "  is  "  El  Pasmo  di 
Sicilia,"  famous  for  its  almost  miraculous  sea- 
voyage,  and  for  a  land  journey  also  to  Paris,  and 
where  it  was  transferred  from  wood  to  canvas. 
One  does  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  colouring 
should  be  quite  otherwise  than  Raphaelesque. 
The  vessel  which  was  conveying  this  picture  to 
Sicily,  for  the  Convent  or  Church  known  as  "  La 
Madonna  del  Spasimo,"  was  wrecked,  and  the 
chest  containing  the  work  floated  to  Genoa.  Had 
a  lesser  artist  painted  this  picture,  it  would  have 
been  deemed  a  masterpiece.  But  as  Raphael's 
handiwork  it  leaves  the  mind  unsatisfied.  The 
attitudes  of  the  principal  personages  seem  to  me 
strained,  and  the  whole  picture  is  unconvincing. 
The  "  Salutation  of  Elizabeth  "  was  made  to  suffer 
the  same  fate  at  Paris,  as  the  one  above  referred 
to.     Surely  never  was  there  such  a  "Salutation'1 


Cardinal  i>a  Bibiesa. 

By  Raphael. 


To  face  p.  141. 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PRADO  141 


as  this.  A  masculine  woman,  with  giant  strides, 
bears  down  upon  the  justly  shrinking  Virgin, 
about  to  sweep  her  from  the  path  of  the  Saluter. 
It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  Virgin  in  her 
lovely  humility  is  worthy  of  Raphael. 

"  The  Madonna  del  Pez,"  also  transferred  to 
canvas  from  wood  at  Paris.  Here  again  the  colour- 
ing  is  strangely  red.  But  the  grand  "drawing 
and  graceful  treatment  are  certainly  Raphael's 
own." 

"  Cardinal  da  Bibiena."  A  great  portrait  by  one 
of  the  greatest  of  portrait-painters.  There  is  a 
very  fine  copy  here  of  Raphael's  "  Transfiguration  " 
by  his  pupils,  G.  Romano  and  F.  Penni.  It  may 
have  been  one  of  the  numerous  acquisitions,  made 
by  Velasquez,  and  if  so,  probably  in  his  second 
journey  to  Italy. 

Amongst  those  which  Velasquez  purchased  for 
the  King,  in  his  first  visit  to  Italy,  were  several  by 
Tintoretto.  Velasquez  had  a  very  great  admiration 
for  Tintoretto,  and  some  Art  critics  have  considered 
that  he  founded  his  "  second  manner  "  upon  the 
great  Venetian. 

There  are  as  many  as  thirty-three  pictures  in  this 
Gallery  by  Tintoretto,  and  amongst  them  there  are, 
of  course,  very  many  to  be  admired.  One  very 
noteworthy  picture,  historically  remarkable  at  least, 
is  the  original  sketch  for  the  immense  "  Last 
Judgment'  in  the  Doge's  Palace  at  Venice.  It 
was  purchased  at  Venice  by  Velasquez,  for 
Philip  IV.  "  Judith  and  Holofernes,"  and  "Joseph 
and  Potiphar's  Wife,"  are  two  subjects  represented 


142  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

ad  nauseam.  But  these  are  splendidly  painted, 
although  one  wishes  that  Tintoretto  had  left  them 
alone.  "  Turkish  pirates  attacking  Christian  Ships  " 
is  more  adapted  to  his  dash  and  vigour,  and  this 
picture  has  them  in  full  measure.  His  portraits 
should  be  looked  at,  for  he  excelled  in  that  line, 
and  one  especially  to  be  rioted  is  "  Sebastian  Vinier, 
a  Venetian  General."  It  is  not  surprising,  consider- 
ing the  high  estimation  of  all  the  Philips  for  the 
great  Flemings,  that  Vandyke  should  hold  a 
conspicuous  place  in  this  collection,  both  as  a 
painter  of  religious  subjects  and  of  portraits. 
Amongst  the  latter  most  to  be  remarked  are :  "  Lord 
Bristol  '  and  the  "  Artist  "  ;  "  The  Countess  of 
Oxford  "  ;  "  David  Ryckaert,"  the  painter  ;  "  Henri 
Comte  de  Berz  " ;  a  small  "  Charles  I  "  on  horseback ; 
"Princess  of  Orange";  the  "  Infante  Cardinal,"  Don 
Fernando  of  Austria "  (see  also  the  same  by 
Rubens,  and  also  by  Velasquez).  I  am  not  much 
impressed  generally  by  Vandyke's  religious  subjects, 
but  there  is  one  of  that  kind  in  this  Gallery,  which 
gives  me  a  very  high  idea  of  Vandyke's  powers. 
It  is  the  "  Betrayal  of  our  Lord."  Although  the 
picture  shows  the  influence  of  Rubens,  it  is  never- 
theless one  of  the  finest  works  here. 

Paul  Veronese  has  some  very  splendid  pictures 
amongst  the  laro-e  number  assigned  to  him.  I 
should  especially  mention,  as  amongst  his  best, 
"  The  Cana  Marriage  Feast."  This  work  was  a 
possession  of  Charles  I,  and  was  much  admired  by 
Velasquez.  "  Cain  and  his  Wife  "  ;  "  The  Mag- 
dalene"; "  Venus  and  Adonis"  (purchased  at  Venice 


The  Countess  of  Oxford. 
By  Vandyke. 


To  face  p.  112. 


THE   MUSEO   DEL   PRADO  143 

by  Velasquez)  ;  "  Christ  preaching  in  the  Temple." 
I  think  that  Paul  Veronese  gives  you  as  much 
pleasure,  and  satisfaction,  as  any  artist.  No  painter 
maintained  such  a  consistently  high  level.  As  a 
portrait-painter,  also,  he  is  very  eminent.  With 
the  exception  of  Titian,  Velasquez  and  Raphael,  I 
know  of  no  one  superior  to  him. 

These  notes  have  swelled  out  to  an  extent  not 
intended.  I  have  only  space,  therefore,  to  refer  to 
three  or  four  other  pictures  with  which  I  have  been 
struck.  "A  Pieta,"  by  D.  Crespi.1  There  was  a 
family  in  Northern  Italy  of  the  name,  and  four  of 
them  were  painters  in  the  16th  Century.  It  is 
said  that  all  of  them  died  of  the  plague.  There  are 
in  the  Bibliothek  Ambrosiana,  Milan,  two  fine 
pictures  by  him.  I  wonder  that  the  above  work  has 
not  been  more  noticed.  This  "  Pieta  "  is  exces- 
sively fine,  the  colouring  and  treatment  somewhat 
resembling  those  of  Correggio.  The  Madonna's 
attitude,  and  countenance  of  despairing  appeal,  are 
sublime. 

Mantegna. — A  small,  but  beautiful,  and  very 
elaborate  in  more  suo,  "  Death  of  the  Virgin," 
should  be  remarked.  It  is  next  to  the  small 
"  Holy  Family,"  by  Raphael.  I  believe  that  doubts 
have  been  entertained  as  to  the  authenticity  of  this 
picture.  But,  to  me  at  least,  it  appears  a  most 
genuine  work. 

1  One  of  the  Crespis  was  known  as  "  Lo  Spagnuolo."  It 
was  doubtless  "D.  Crespi's,"  for  obvious  reasons.  G.  B.  Crespi 
has  a  fine  picture  in  the  Turin  Gallery,  "  St.  Francis,  holding  in 
his  arms  the  Infant  Saviour."     He  is  known  as  "  II  Cerano." 


144 


SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 


Correggio  ("  Noli  me  Tangere  "). — In  spite  of  the 
misdrawing,  or  perhaps  "  repainting,"  of  the 
Saviour's  leg — for  indeed  the  picture  has  suffered 
from  repainting — I  cannot  but  consider  this  a 
Q-enuine  work.  The  Magdalene's  attitude  is 
notably  fine,  and  this  rather  than  her  features 
discloses  the  hand  of  the  master.  This  picture,  or 
a  replica  of  it,  was,  together  with  the  famous 
"Aguador"  of  Velasquez,  captured  by  the  then 
Lord  Wellington,  out    of  Joseph's  fleeing  chariot. 

J.  B.  Tiepolo  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  his 
son,  to  whom  most  of  the  Tiepolos  in  the  Gallery 
are  to  be  attributed.  He  (J.  B.)  is  rarely  seen  out 
of  Venice.  He  was  invited  to  Madrid  by  Charles 
III.  He  is  a  great  artist,  original,  and  superb  in 
technique.  He  was  the  last  great  Venetian,  and 
inspired  many  with  the  hope  that  the  glories  of  the 
School  were  not  to  be  extinguished.  Observe 
especially,  the  "  Immaculate  Conception."  The 
Virgin  stands  upon  the  serpent,  who  holds  in  his 
jaws  the  fateful  apple.  The  cherub  below  has  been 
injured.  But  the  picture  has  been  as  beautifully 
conceived  as  executed. 

The  Gallery  is  poor  in  landscape  painting.  A 
few  Claudes,  but  not  of  the  painter's  best.  Perhaps 
two  Ruysdaels,  but  no  Hobbema,  nor  Both,  nor 
Cuyp,  nor  Poussin.  It  is  painful  to  observe  what 
injuries  have  been  inflicted  upon  many  of  the  great 
pictures  here.  Time,  fire,  restoration,  and  neglect 
have  all  been  at  work.  As  to  neglect,  it  seems  as 
though  many  of  the  later  Sovereigns  had  taken  as 
great  pains  to  allow  these  invaluable  works  to  go  to 


THE  MUSEO  DEL  PRADO  145 

rack  and  ruin  as  their  predecessors  had  lavished  in 
the  acquisition  of  them.  Yet  when  we  remember 
how  many  great  works  of  Titian  and  Velasquez  and 
others  perished  in  the  flames  which  destroyed  the 
Alcazar  and  El  Pardo,  we  must  be  thankful  how 
much  yet  remains  (though  too  often  in  an  impaired 
condition)  to  awaken  our  admiration  and  enjoyment. 


10 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE    ESCURIAL 

Erection  by  Philip  II — Dedication  to  St.  Laurence — Position 
and  appearance — Architectural  Features — Immense  dimen- 
sions— The  Church  of  the  Escurial — Object  of  the  Archi- 
tect— Death  of  Philip  in  the  Building — The  Pudridero — 
Opening  of  the  Coffin  of  Charles  V — Morbid  craving  of 
the  Spanish  Monarchs — An  indoor-Campo  Santo — Tomb 
of  Don  John — "  La  Santa  Forma  " — Picture  in  the  Sacristy 
— Palace  Garden — English  Elms — No  Spanish  Monarch 
born  in  the  Palace,  Ferdinand  VII  excepted — Philip  V 
hated  all  things  Spanish — Buried  at  La  Granja  (the 
"Grange") — Had  abdicated  there — Hasty  Resumption  of 
Power — Frescoes,  Tapestries,  no  great  things — Transference 
of  Pictures  to  Madrid. 

THE  great  but  barren  Victory  of  St.  Quentin 
having  been  won  for  Philip  upon  the  ioth 
of  August,  1557,  St.  Laurence's  Day,  the  King 
ascribed  to  the  great  Aragonese  Saint  the  honours 
of  the  triumph. 

To  the  Saint  was  decreed  the  erection  of  the 
vastest  monument  in  Europe,  and  to  Philip,  and 
the  Monarchs  that  would  succeed  him,  this  Pantheon 
for  their  sepulture.     The   Escurial  seems  a  world 

146 


THE  ESCURIAL  147 

too  large,  as  a  monument  for  a  victory  that  is 
forgotten,  and  of  which  it  is  the  solitary  but  pon- 
derous trophy.  Popular  opinion  has  been  pleased 
to  assume  that  the  architect  sought  to  express  the 
form  of  a  gridiron  in  his  immense  creation.  One 
would  like  to  believe  it  true.  It  would  have  been 
an  imperishable  symbol  of  the  cruel  Sovereign's  own 
propensities  towards  the  grilling  and  frying  of  his 
wretched  subjects,  much  more  than  a  memorial  of 
the  Saint's  martyrdom.  But  in  truth  any  building 
of  a  rectangular  parallelogram  in  form,  and  laterally 
crossed  by  lines  of  Courtyards,  may  be  compared  to 
a  gridiron.  I  was  agreeably  surprised  by  the  elevated 
position  of  the  Escurial.  It  is  a  cheerful  pull  up 
hill  to  arrive  there,  and  it  is  grandly  backed  by  a 
chain  of  rugged  hills.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  issue 
from  the  mountain  in  rear  of  it.  It  is  its  child,  and 
formed  of  itself. 

The  huge  whitish  granite  mass  is  monotonous  to 
a  degree.  An  immense  quadrangle  with  a  towered 
pinnacle  at  each  corner,  and  pierced  by  rows  of 
interminable  small  windows.  Some  say  that  they 
designedly  correspond  in  number,  to  the  eleven 
thousand  virgins  of  Cologne.  It  is  an  ideal  Barracks 
for  half  an  Army,  and  were  even  half  the  rooms 
inhabited,  it  would  not  weigh  upon  your  spirits  with 
the  sense  of  awful  solemnity  as  at  present.  One 
thinks  of  Pope's  epitaph  upon  Vanbrugh,  the 
architect  of  Blenheim,  "  Lay  heavy  on  him, 
Earth !  "  Only  instead  of  the  architect  one  thinks 
of  those  heavy  Spanish  Monarchs,  and  substitutes 
"them"  for  "him." 


148  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

It  is  not  of  a  very  original  style  even,  for  it  only 
repeats,  upon  an  inordinately  larger  scale,  the  form 
generally  of  the  Toledo  Alcazar,  which  again  was 
in  part  the  work  of  Herrera,  the  architect  of  the 
Escurial.  Herrera  was  certainly  an  Egyptian,  or 
an  American,  in  his  proclivities  towards  the  "  vast." 
You  believe  cheerfully,  involuntarily,  anything  you 
are  told  about  its  hugeness.  Unless  you  are  a  born 
statistician,  the  mind  is  stunned  rather  than  en- 
lightened bv  statements  of  measurements.  You  are 
told,  however,  that  the  square  of  the  building  covers 
500,000  feet,  and  it  is  three-quarters  of  a  mile  walk 
round,  that  it  contains  sixteen  courtyards,  fifteen 
cloisters,  eighty-six  staircases,  and  eighty-eight 
fountains,  and  notwithstanding  this  array  of  figures, 
it  is  less  extensive  than  Versailles  or  even  Caserta  ! 
Who  could  compass  an  expedition  to  verify  such 
assertions?  The  mind,  not  to  speak  of  legs  and 
feet,  shrinks  from  such  a  task.  The  Courts  that  I 
visited  certainly  did  not  encourage  me  to  proceed. 
That  one  especially,  the  "  Patio  de  los  Reyes," 
whence  you  pass  into  the  church,  is  monumental 
in  ugliness,  with  colossal  statues  (17  feet  high) 
of  the  Kings  of  Judah.  Upon  the  other  hand,  it 
must  be  said  that  the  "  Court  of  the  College "  is 
really  fine — an  arcaded  cloister  with  garden  and 
one  of  the  eighty-eight  fountains  in  the  centre. 
But  the  "  sight  "  of  the  Escurial  is  the  Church,  "  El 
Tempio,"  par  excellence,  as  it  is  termed.  It  is  one 
of  the  really  great  Renaissance  churches  of  Europe, 
and  alone  would  have  handed  down  the  name  of 
Herrera  as  a  great  architect.     The  Church,  with  its 


THE  ESCURIAL  149 

two  towers  and  its  dome,  though  forming  a  portion 
of  the  palace,  may  be  considered  and  studied  as 
quite  a  separate  and  detached  architectural  glory. 
Herrera  had  the  brilliant  inspiration  of  not  placing 
his  Coro  "in  modo  Hispanico,"  in  the  centre  of  the 
nave.  You  pass  under  it,  and  thus  the  whole  length 
of  the  vast  nave  up  to  the  Retablo  of  the  High 
Altar  is  revealed.  You  at  once  take  in,  and 
comprehend,  the  grand  simplicity,  the  perfect  pro- 
portions, the  harmony  of  the  architecture.  It  is 
awfully  solemn  ;  it  is  appalling  in  its  gloom  ; — the 
architect  has  struck  the  chord  which  he  intended — 
the  nothingness  of  man  ;  the  omnipresence  of 
Death  ! 

The  gay  note  of  the  irrepressible  Luca,  over- 
head, is  swallowed  up  in  these  profundities,  and  the 
gorgeously  decorated  Retablo,  and  the  painted 
effigies  of  the  kneeling  Kings  and  Queens,  serve 
only  to  render  the  gloom  more  palpable.  Herrera 
knew  what  he  was  about  when  he  planned  a  temple, 
so  consonant  to  the  gloomy  temperament  of 
Philip  II,  where  the  ruling  idea  was  to  be  funeral- 
masses  or  funeral-rites  for  dead  Sovereigns. 

On  either  side  of  the  High  Altar  is  an  oratory 
for  royal  use.  Above  them  are  gilded  effigies. 
Upon  one  side,  Charles  V,  his  wife,  his  daughter, 
and  his  two  sisters,  kneel  in  prayer.  Opposite  are 
seen,  in  the  same  reverential  attitude,  Philip  II, 
three  of  his  wives,  (poor  Mary  omitted  from  the 
group !)  and  even  Don  Carlos.  Philip  died  close 
by  in  a  little  poky  chamber,  whence  he  could  have 
full  view  of  the  High  Altar,  and  of  the  Celebration 


150  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

of  the  Mass.  Here  he  languished  for  several 
months,  until  death  put  an  end  to  his  sufferings,  on 
September  15,  1598.  Notwithstanding  the  terrible 
nature  of  his  malady,  he  forced  himself  to  attend  to 
the  minutest  details  regarding  his  funeral,  giving 
the  most  elaborate  directions  as  to  the  disposal  of 
his  body,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  should  be 
conveyed  to  the  "  Pudridero  "  beneath.  He  even 
ordered,  that  his  coffin,  of  gilt-bronze,  should  be 
brought  into  his  cell,  and  should  be  lined  with 
white  satin  and  lace.  He  called  his  children  (none 
of  his  four  wives  were  alive)  around  him  to  receive 
admonitions,  advice  and  gifts.  He  had  his  father's 
scourge  taken  from  its  case  and  pointed  out  its 
blood-stains,  as  a  proof  of  the  Christian  virtues  of 
his  predecessor.  He  finally  died,  holding  his  father's 
crucifix  in  his  hand,  but,  as  some  say,  not  quite 
satisfied  at  the  last,  that  his  prodigious  efforts  in 
the  suppression  of  heresy  had  been  rightly  directed. 
I  was  referring  to  the  symmetrical  proportions  of 
this  admirable  building,  one  fact,  connected  with 
which,  is  worth  mentioning. 

The  height  of  the  Church  to  the  top  of  the  cupola, 
is  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  length  of  the  naves, 
i.e.,  320  feet.  The  breadth  of  the  Church  is  230  feet, 
about  the  same,  i.e.,  as  the  width  of  the  Milan 
Duomo.  You  descend  into  the  pretty  octagonal 
"  Pudridero,  "  or  "  Pantheon,"  by  a  fine  staircase  of 
green  and  yellow  marble  (one  so  slippery,  however, 
that  it  would  be  as  well  not  to  have  nails  on  your 
soles).  You  are  surprised  to  find  yourself  in  quite 
a  cheerful  chamber,  although  scantily  lit.     Shelves, 


THE  ESCURIAL  151 

round  the  octagon  from  basement  to  roof,  support 
black  marble  coffins,  of  pretty  boat-like  shapes, 
highly  ornamented  with  gilt  bronze  decorations. 
From  Charles  V  to  Alfonso  XII,  the  Kings  are 
upon  the  right ;  their  Queens,  or  Queens  Regnant, 
or  Mothers,  upon  the  left,  for  none  but  crowned 
heads  are  allowed  to  rest  here.  Some  of  the 
Sarcophagi  are  untenanted  as  yet.  Two  of  the 
Kings  since  Charles  V,  viz.,  Philip  V  and 
Ferdinand  VI,  are  not  interred  here.  When 
Philip  II  built  the  Escurial,  he  contemplated  only 
a  plain  vault  for  the  reception  of  his  father's  remains 
and  his  own.  The  present  comparatively  smart 
octagon  and  entrance,  were  the  works  of  the  son 
and  grandson.  And  then  Philip  IV,  in  1654, 
moved  in  the  royal  bodies,  and  at  the  same  time 
caused  the  coffin  of  his  royal  great-grandfather  to 
be  opened.  Charles's  body  was  found  well  pre- 
served, and  Philip  said,  as  he  contemplated, 
"  Cuerpo  muy  honrado."  Curiosity  has  caused  the 
same  scene  to  be  re-enacted  some  thirty  years  ago. 
It  was  in  this  Pantheon,  too,  that  another  coffin  was 
opened  by  the  last  of  the  Race ;  the  imbecile 
Charles  II.  It  was  that  of  his  first  wife,  Marie 
Louise  d'Orleans,  whose  sadly  early  death  has  been 
alluded  to.  Most  of  the  Spanish  Kings  had  a 
passion  for  the  inspection  of  corpses,  for  the  con- 
templation of  death  in  its  material  aspects,  or  in 
gloomy  meditations  and  reflections.  Even  Philip  IV, 
who  enjoyed  life  in  many  ways,  loved  art  and 
artists,  had  a  passion  for  hunting  and  shooting  and 
would  laugh  over  "  Don  Quixote,"  would  come  here 


152  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

and  listen  to  Mass,  ensconced  in  the  niche  where 
his  own  coffin  would  one  day  rest.  After  leaving 
the  Pantheon  it  seemed  to  me  that  one  had  to 
traverse  a  perfect  marble  "  Campo  Santo "  of 
Infantes  and  Infantas,  and  of  other  royal  or  semi- 
royal  personages.  This  portion  of  the  Escurial  is 
really  an  indoor  Cemetery.  Not  gloomy  by  any 
means,  for  most  of  the  tombs  and  monuments  are 
of  white  marble,  and  very  often  rich  in  decoration, 
painting,  and  gilding.  Amongst  the  most  note- 
worthy being  those  of  the  two  Don  Johns  of 
Austria,  Don  Carlos,  the  unhappy  son  of  Philip  II, 
the  Due  de  Vendome,  natural  son  of  Louis  XIV, 
and  of  a  number  of  recently  deceased  Princes  and 
Princesses.  It  is  only  of  late  years  that  a  hand- 
some monument  (recumbent  statue)  has  been 
erected  over  the  tomb  of  the  famous  Don  John  of 
Austria,  the  Victor  of  Lepanto.  Upon  it  are 
inscribed  the  words,  uttered  by  the  Pope  of  the 
day,  Pius  V,  upon  hearing  of  that  great  Victory 
over  the  infidel  :  "  There  was  a  man  sent  by  God 
whose  name  was  John."  There  are  still  some 
famous  pictures  in  the  Church,  and  Sacristy,  but 
generally  the  light  is  so  bad  that  a  trustworthy 
opinion  cannot  be  passed  as  to  their  merits.  One 
at  least  in  the  Anti-Sacristia,  however,  should  be 
seen.  It  is  by  the  second  Coello  :  "  La  Santa  Forma." 
It  celebrates  the  famous  miracle  of  the  Holy  Wafer 
bleeding  when  trampled  upon  by  heretics  in 
Holland.1  The  picture  introduces  the  portraits  of 
Charles  II,  the  Duke  of  Medinaceli,  and  others,  as 
1  A  repetition  of  the  famous  Bolsena  "  Miracle." 


THE   ESCURIAL  153 

present  at  the  apotheosis  of  this  wafer.     The  wafer, 
actually,  is  preserved  in  the  altar,  behind  the  picture. 
Its  preservation  is  very  astonishing,  as  the  Escurial 
was  more  or  less  plundered  by  the  inevitable  French 
soldiery.     The   Bleeding  of  a  Wafer  has  happened 
more  than  once,  it  seems,  as  those  who  have  visited 
Orvieto,    or    have    seen     Raphael's    fresco    of  the 
"  Miracle  of  Bolsena,"  will  remember.     The  Palace 
Garden  of  clipped  yew  and  box  is  very  pretty  and 
quaint.      Indeed,  there  are  bigger  trees  to  be  seen, 
in  the  garden   here,    for  Philip   II    had  some  elm- 
trees   transported   from    England,   and    he    planted 
others  at  Aranjuez.      It  is  a  solitary  human  ray  that 
warms  up  his  character  a  little  !     Philip  was  per- 
mitted not  only  to  commence  this  huge  Palace  and 
Sepulchre,  but  to  finish  it,  and  to  be  taken  there  to 
die.     Though  he  took  over  thirty  years  to  complete 
it,  he  did  not  die  until  forty-one  years  after  he  had 
commenced  the  stupendous  self-imposed  task.     The 
"  eighth  wonder  of  the   world,"  as  he    styled    this 
laborious   creation   of  his.     The   Escurial  has  had 
the  privilege  of  being  the  birthplace  of  one  Monarch, 
— that  of  Ferdinand  VII.     Noteworthy,  any  joyful 
event  in  a  building  consecrated  to  death.     But  I  do 
not   think   that   a    royal    marriage   was    ever   cele- 
brated here.     Ferdinand  VI  and  Philip  V  and  their 
Oueens  are  not  buried  here.     The  last-mentioned 
Sovereign  hated  all  the  traditions  and  associations 
connected  with  Monarchs  of  Spanish  and  Austrian 
blood,  and  caused  himself  therefore  to  be  buried  at 
"La  Granja  "  together  with  his   Queen,  Elizabeth 
Farnese.      "La     Granja," — "Grange"    or    Farm 


154  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

House, — had  been  purchased  by  Philip  V  as  a 
country  residence,  and  transformed  by  him  into  a 
French  Chateau.  There  Philip, — rather  in  the 
style  of  one  of  the  Spanish  Sovereigns,  whom  he  so 
disliked, — went  through  the  form  of  an  Abdication. 
But  either  the  death  of  his  son  a  few  months  after- 
wards, or  the  distaste  of  his  wife  for  private  life, 
induced  him  to  resume  the  power  which  he  had  too 
hastily  renounced. 

So  much  of  the  Escurial  as  has  been  here 
described  or  referred  to,  will  be  found  more  than 
ample  to  employ  the  nimblest  legs,  and  to  slake 
the  keenest  historical  thirst  in  the  space  of  one 
day. 

If  the  conscientious  traveller  should  think  it 
incumbent  upon  him  to  do  so,  some  of  the  innumer- 
able rooms  in  this  huge  building  might  be  worth 
visiting  upon  a  second  occasion.  There  are 
frescoes, — not  of  very  great  merit, — and  a  certain 
number  of  tapestries  to  be  seen.  But  almost  every- 
thing of  historical  or  artistic  value  has  now  been 
removed  to  Madrid. 


o 


a 


o 


CHAPTER   V 

TOLEDO 

Supposed  resemblance  to  Rome — Alcazar,  the  dominant  feature 
— Neglected  opportunities — River  Tagus — The  Alcantara 
Bridge — An  ethnological  Mosaic — Paucity  of  Moorish 
remains — Jewish,  rather  than  Moorish — Treatment  of  the 
Jews — Two  synagogues — Churches — S.  Maria  la  Bianca 
— Ei  Transito — El  Tome — El  Greco's  famous  Picture — 
Alcazar,  History  of — The  Prison  of  two  Queens — A  second 
Don  John — Hospital  de  la  Santa  Cruz — Marble  Relief  of 
St.  Helena. 

HISTORY  does  not  record  the  name  of  the 
original  Founder  of  this  time-worn  city. 
That  it  was  a  place  of  sufficient  importance  to  be 
"  taken  "  by  the  Romans  some  two  hundred  years 
B.C.  would  suggest  an  antiquity  not  greatly  inferior 
to  Rome  herself.  To  Rome,  indeed,  a  resemblance 
has  been  found  in  that  the  city  is  enthroned  upon 
seven  hills.  I  do  not  think  that  the  hills  are  as 
well  defined,  or  as  well  named,  as  those  of  Rome. 
Certainly  Toledo  can  never  have  approached  Rome 
in  size  or  circuit.  Another  resemblance,  and  a 
better  one,  might  be  found  in  the  fact  that  both 
cities  are  seated  upon  noble  rivers. 

155 


156  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

The  glory  of  Toledo  is,  as  every  one  knows,  her 
Cathedral.  But  that  is  not  the  dominant  note  here, 
as  is  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  For  upon  entering 
Toledo,  the  great  building,  which  from  its  size  and 
commanding  position  arrests  the  attention  of  the 
traveller,  is  the  Alcazar.  Here,  had  been  the  true 
Capital  of  Spain  had  Spaniards  but  recognised  their 
opportunity,  and  had  made  use  of  what  Providence 
had  provided,  i.e.,  the  Tagus.  What  a  suggestive 
title  would  be  that  of  "The  history  of  neglected 
sites."  We  might  place  Toledo  at  the  head  of  such 
barren  records.  The  noble  river,  the  Tagus,  going 
begging,  because  Spaniards  had  neither  enterprise 
nor  energy.  When  the  original  founders  of  Toledo 
settled  down  here,  they,  doubtless,  did  so,  because 
the  river  suggested  to  them  all  sorts  of  possibilities — 
a  errand  means  of  communicatino-  with  the  ocean 
and  of  cities  springing  up  upon  the  banks  of  this 
noble  river ;  infinite  opportunities  of  irrigation  for 
overcoming  the  sterility  of  a  rocky  soil,  and  of 
fortified  bridges  to  protect  them  on  three  sides  from 
covetous  enemies.  Perhaps  the  Races  that  peopled 
Toledo,  succeeded  each  other  too  rapidly.  But 
everything  was  open  to  Philip  II  when  he  added 
Portugal  to  the  possessions  of  the  Spanish  crown. 
And  he  did  nothing. 

The  Bridge,  the  two-arched  Alcantara,1  is  a 
history  in  itself  of  all  the  Races  that  have  possessed 
Toledo.      Romans,    Moors,  Goths,    and  Spaniards, 

1  In  the  time  of  Trajan  eleven  cities  of  Lusitania  bore  the  cost 
of  the  great  Bridge,  "  Alcantara,"  over  the  Tagus  (Gregorovius, 
"  Life  of  Adrian  "). 


TOLEDO  157 

have  all  left  traces  of  their  handiwork  here.  Toledo 
was  the  Gothic  capital,  and  replaced  Sevile  as  such 
until  the  fatal  day  of  Guadelete,  712  a.d.,  put  an  end 
to  Gothic  dominion  under  Roderic,  and  established 
a  Moslem  Power  in  Spain.  The  Moors  held  Toledo 
for  upwards  of  three  hundred  years  and  built  a  noble 
Mosque,  which  the  Cathedral  has  entirely  displaced. 
It  is  regrettable,  considering  the  length  of  the 
Moorish  rule,  that  there  should  be  comparatively 
little  of  Moorish  architecture  to  be  seen.  I  should 
imagine,  notwithstanding  the  type  of  Moorish  archi- 
tecture prevalent  in  the  character  of  the  houses,  that 
the  city,  generally,  has  been  rebuilt.  Nor  have  I 
remarked  in  the  features  and  colouring  of  the 
inhabitants,  anything  that  could  be  regarded  as  of 
distinctly  Moorish  origin.  Toledo  was  always 
rather  a  Jewish  city  than  a  Moorish  one.  Indeed, 
it  was  largely  owing  to  the  Jews,  that  not  only 
Toledo,  but  Cordova  and  Granada,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Moslems.  The  Jews  had  been  cruelly 
oppressed  by  the  Goths,  and  when  the  Moors 
entered  Spain,  they  made  common  cause  with  the 
invaders.  And  again,  three  hundred  years  after- 
wards, when  they  had  discovered  to  their  cost  that 
the  Moors  had  been  more  than  oblivious  of  their 
services,  they  hastened  to  the  assistance  of  the 
advancing  Christians  under  Alonzo  VI,  and  helped 
them  to  capture  the  city.  But  the  unhappy  race 
did  not  long  continue  in  the  good  graces  of  their 
new-found  friends.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  Europe, 
Jews  had  acquired  the  fatal  reputation  of  being 
wealthy.     To    be  plundered  and  ill-used  was    the 


158  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

heritage  of  the  Hebrew  race.  And  when  the 
Inquisition  became  an  establishment  in  Spain  it 
was  as  natural  to  torture  Jews  and  Moors,  or  any- 
other  species  of  heretic,  and  even  more  profitable. 
Nor  was  Cardinal  Ximenes,  the  celebrated  Regent 
of  the  Kingdom  during  the  minority  of  Charles  V, 
likely  to  be  more  tolerent  to  them,  seeing  that  he 
was  not  only  Grand  Inquisitor,  but  was  himself 
suspected  of  having  Jewish  blood  in  his  veins. 
Mai  sangre  was  a  terrible  blot,  even  upon  the 
escutcheon  of  a  Grand  Inquisitor.  But  that  Jews 
must  have  been  here  in  large  numbers  is  proved  by 
there  being  still  in  existence  a  Jewish  quarter  and 
two  synagogues  therein  which  have  been  trans- 
formed into  Christian  churches.  These  are  "  Santa 
Maria  la  Bianca,"  and  "  El  Transito."  The  former 
is  the  most  ancient.  But  both  must  have  been  built 
by  Moorish  workmen,  as  they  are  entirely  in  the 
Moorish  style,  even  to  their  details,  which  are 
extremely  pretty.  In  the  former,  the  fine  capitals 
of  the  columns,  representing  lumps  of  wheat-ears  or 
fruit,  are  remarkable.  There  is,  too,  a  great  deal  of 
Moorish  tiling,  ancient  and  modern.  This  church 
has  been  very  well  restored,  and  is  now  well  tended 
and  looked  after.  It  has  been  said,  that  the  beams 
and  rafters  were  made  from  cedars  brought  from 
Lebanon,  and  that  some  of  the  sacred  earth  of 
Palestine  is  enclosed  beneath  the  tiles  in  some  part 
of  the  building.  The  Church  of  "  El  Tome"  should 
be  visited,  in  order  to  see  the  famous  picture  of  El 
Greco,  of  the  "  Burial  of  Count  Orgaz  "  in  this  very 
church.      It  is  a  very   fine  work,  dark  and   sombre 


TOLEDO  159 

in  colouring.  It  is  considered  as  the  masterpiece  of 
the  artist,  who,  Greek  by  birth,  made  Toledo  his 
home,  and  was  famous  also  as  an  architect.  To 
him  is  attributed  the  Mozarabic  Chapel  (or  a  portion 
of  it)  in  the  Cathedral.  Close  to  this  church,  is 
the  old  palace  of  Conde  de  Fuensalida,  where  the 
wife  of  Charles  V,  the  Empress  Isabel,  died. 

The  Alcazar. — The  Alcazar  was  the  Fortress 
Palace  of  Toledo,  even  in  Moorish  times.  It  has 
served  as  a  fortress,  a  palace,  a  royal  prison,  or  even 
as  a  workhouse.  In  more  modern  times  as  barracks 
and  military  schools.  It  has  repeatedly  suffered 
from  fires,  either  intentional  or  accidental.  In  its 
present  shape  it  is  chiefly  the  work  of  Alonzo  de 
Covarrubias  and  Herrera,  the  architects  respec- 
tively of  Charles  V  and  Philip  II.  It  is  a  four- 
towered  stone  building,  of  two  stories  upon  a  raised 
basement.  The  western  facade  is  fine,  with  much 
ornamented  square  windows  surmounted  by  pedi- 
ments. The  Quadrangle  Courtyard,  with  its  two- 
storied  arcade,  is  one  of  the  best  works  of  Herrera. 
The  bronze  statue  in  the  centre  of  Charles  V  in 
armour,  with  a  figure  in  fetters  beneath  him,  is 
worthy  of  admiration. 

The  inscription  upon  the  pedestal  runs  thus  :  "  Si 
en  la  Pelea  veis  caer  mi  caballo,  y  mi  Estandarte 
levant  al  primero,  este  que  a  mi," — which  may  be 
rendered  :  "  If  in  the  shock  of  battle  thou  shouldst 
behold  my  horse  go  down,  and  then  my  standard, 
be  the  first  to  fly  aloft, — so  may  I  be  the  first  to 
leap  to  my  feet."  I  suppose  the  chained  figure  to 
refer  to  conquered  Tunis. 


160 


SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 


The  Alcazar  is  memorable  for  having  served  as  the 
gilded  prison  of  two  queens.  Blanche  of  Bourbon, 
the  wife  merely  in  name  of  the  ferocious  Pedro  the 
Cruel,  and  repudiated  almost  immediately  after  the 
wedding  and  deserted  for  the  beautiful  Maria 
Padilla,  lived  here  in  state.  Her  cause  was  enthu- 
siastically embraced  by  most  of  the  nobles  as  well 
as  by  the  populace.  But  it  was  not  for  long  that 
she  was  enabled  to  prolong  the  struggle.  Toledo 
was  entered  eventually  by  Pedro,  and  the  hapless 
Queen  was  put  to  death  by  her  husband. 

The  other  Queen  who  took  refuge  in  this  com- 
manding fortress  was  Mariana  of  Austria, — the 
widow  and  niece  of  Philip  IV, — the  blonde  Queen 
so  often  depicted  by  Velasquez.  She  had  been 
appointed  Regent  during  the  minority  of  her  son — 
the  idiotic  Charles  II.  But  she  was  ousted  from 
the  Regency  by  the  popular  Don  John,  the  natural 
son  of  her  husband, — whose  influence  was  para- 
mount over  the  weak  King.  Don  John,  however, 
died  early,  and  Queen  Mariana  regained  her  liberty, 
but  not  her  influence.  Her  character  inspires  no 
respect  whatever,  as  she  was  wholly  a  slave  to  her 
confessor,  Nithard,  and  her  paramour,  Valenzuela. 
The  views  of  the  city,  the  Tagus,  and  of  the  wild 
and  bleak  country  from  all  sides  of  the  Alcazar,  are 
excessively  attractive.  Immediately  below  the 
Alcazar,  upon  the  western  front, — where  you  en- 
tered, is  the  Hospital  de  la  Santa  Cruz.  It  is  a 
descent  of  a  few  seconds  through  a  shrubbery. 
The  building  is  all  going  to  rack  and  ruin,  but  it 
is  well  worth  visiting  to  look  at  the  beautiful  marble 


TOLEDO  161 

relief  over  the  entrance  porch  of  "  St.  Helena  and 
the  Invention  of  the  Cross."  It  will  recall  to  you 
many  an  Italian  work, — such  as  you  may  see  in 
Florence  or  Siena,  or  San  Gemignano,  and  might 
have  been  called  a  work  of  one  of  the  Delia 
Robbias.  The  whole  edifice  is  of  the  early 
1 6th  Century,  by  Enrique  de  Egas.  The  vast 
church  has  been  stripped  of  ornaments,  and  the 
chancel  walled  up.  It  is  now,  partly  a  Military 
Gymnasium,  a  School  Board,  a  Barrack,  an  Arsenal, 
and  I  know  not  what  else.  The  soldiers  in  the 
courtyard  are  good-natured,  and  are  not  suspicious 
of  your  wishing  to  run  away  with  parallel  bars  and 
trapezes,  etc.  So  you  may  look  about  you  for  fine 
staircases,  and  finely-moulded  ceilings  and  frag- 
ments of  coats  of  arms,  and  architectural  mouldings, 
and  so  forth.  But  it  is  a  melancholy  scene,  of 
corroded  splendours  and  worm-eaten  magnificence. 


11 


CHAPTER   VI 


TOLEDO    CATHEDRAL 


Commenced  by  St.  Ferdinand — He  destroyed  the  Mosque — A 
breach  of  promise — Former  Gothic  Cathedral  on  the  site — 
The  Virgin's  favourite  resort — Present  Cathedral  finished 
in  15th  Century  —  Dimensions  —  A  Museum  of  Art  — 
Painted  Glass  of  15  th  Century  —  Western  Facade  — 
Puerta  del  Perdon,  the  finest  entrance — The  Coro — Mag- 
nificent Retablo — Height  of  the  Cathedral — Mental  Percep- 
tion of  great  Fabrics — A  gradual  absorption — Beauty  of 
the  Carved  Stalls — El  Rodrigo  and  Vigarny — Wondrous 
Metal-pulpits — Tomb  of  Alvaro  de  Luna — "Spite"  of 
Henry  of  Aragon — Capilla  Mayor — Fine  Retablo — Tombs 
of  "los  Reyes  Viejos" — Queen  Catherine,  Daughter  of 
John  of  Gaunt — Philip  IPs  descent  from  her — Purport  of 
his  "Armada" — Legend  of  S.  Ildelfonso,  Primate — The 
sacred  "  Casulla  " — Madonna's  Black  Image — Vigarny's 
Reliefs  of  the  Legend — Vicissitudes  of  the  Image — Ildel- 
fonso's  Body — Virgin's  Regalia — Deported  to  Paris — Vest- 
ments, Gold  and  Silver  Plate — Capilla,  S.  Eugenio  and 
de  Invierno — Traces  of  Moorish  Art. 


TO  Ferdinand  III,  the  "Saint,"  belongs  the 
peculiar  glory  of  having  commenced  the  two 
great  Cathedrals  of  Burgos  and  Toledo,  and  within 
four  or  five  years  of  each  other,  in  the  early 
13th    Century.       Had    he   possessed   any  aesthetic 


162 


TOLEDO   CATHEDRAL  163 

sentiments  whatever,  he  would  have  spared  some 
portion,  at  least,  of  the  Mosque  that  stood  here. 
Those  who  built  Seville  and  Cordova  Cathedrals 
were  not  so  remorseless.  The  destruction  of  the 
Mosque  at  Toledo  was  also  a  breach  of  faith.  For 
when  Toledo  was  captured  from  the  Moors  by 
Alonzo  VI,  in  the  nth  Century,  it  had  been 
promised  that  their  Mosque  should  remain  in  their 
possession.  But  some  Saints  are  a  law  unto  them- 
selves. There  are  rumours  that  a  Cathedral,  dedi- 
cated to  the  Virgin,  had  stood  here  in  very  ancient 
times,  indeed  in  the  lifetime  of  the  Madonna  her- 
self. According  to  Church  Chronicles,  it  was  a 
favourite  resort  of  the  Virgin,  and  she  is  declared 
to  have  often  attended  Divine  service  here,  accom- 
panied by  Saints  Peter,  Paul,  and  Sant  Iago.  Loreto, 
that  holds  the  Virgin's  house  in  jealous  keeping, 
would  not  be  pleased  to  hear  of  this  story. 

For  us,  however,  it  is  good  enough  to  know 
that  the  present  very  beautiful  building  is  a 
magnificent  Cathedral  commenced  in  the  13th 
Century  and  finished  in  the  15th;  that  it 
possesses  five  naves,  about  464  feet  long  by  204 
feet  wide  ;  that  it  contains  some  of  the  finest 
monuments,  tombs,  carved  work,  and  works  of  Art, 
to  be  found  in  any  Cathedral.  Here  some  of  the 
most  powerful  and  conspicuous  of  Spaniards  have 
found  their  last  resting-places.  The  16th  Cen- 
tury painted  windows  are  marvels.  The  trans- 
lucent Saints  and  Prophets  thereon  depicted,  seem 
to  be  regaining  warmth,  and  life,  and  motion,  in 
another   transitory    existence,    which    is   mystically 


164  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

evolving  itself  from  a  conflagration  of  jewels.  As 
from  shattered  rainbows,  iridescent  flakes  are  boun- 
teously flung  around,  glorifying  with  haloes  and 
aureoles,  sculptured  saints  and  recumbent  heroes. 
Not  the  least  of  the  great  Arts  and  Crafts  is  that  of 
Painted  Glass. 

How  much  a  Cathedral  lacks,  that  has  not  that ! 

If  you  take  a  guide,  (I  hope  you  will  not,  for  he 
will  probably  be  unintelligible,  and  he  will  certainly 
be  always  intercepting  your  view,)  he  will  try  to 
make  you  enter  the  Cathedral  by  the  Northern 
Door, — Puerta  del  Raloj, — as  the  nearest  to  your 
Hotel.  The  street  runs  up  to  the  door,  and  is  so 
crowded  and  narrow,  that  you  scarcely  realise  that 
you  have  a  great  Cathedral  in  front  of  you.  Make 
rather  for  the  western  facade,  the  Puerta  del  Per- 
don.  This  is  not  only  incomparably  the  finest 
entrance  of  the  four,  but  your  eyes  will  be  enabled 
to  sweep  up  the  Nave,  and  over  the  Coro  (placed, 
as  usual,  in  the  middle  of  the  Nave),  and  up  to  the 
magnificent  Retablo  of  the  Capilla  Mayor.  We 
are  told  that  as  regards  height,  this  Cathedral  is 
somewhat  disappointing.  I  do  not  think  so,  though 
the  Seville  Cathedral  is  higher.  So  many  of  us, 
for  fear  that  we  should  miss  any  of  the  details  and 
objects,  referred  to  in  guide-books,  neglect  to  let  the 
idea  of  a  great  fabric  sink  gradually  into  the  sense. 
And  it  is  when  you  wish  to  absorb  in  its  entirety, 
and  as  a  whole,  some  building  such  as  this,  that  a 
chattering  guide  becomes  quite  intolerable.  But 
sooner  or  later  we  must  be  tightly  clutching  our 
Murray,  or  Baedeker,  and  upon  one  of  those  indis- 


TOLEDO   CATHEDRAL  165 

pensable  companions,  friends,  guides,  we  must  be 
relying  for  information  about  "  storied  urn  and 
animated  bust."  No  assistance  of  the  kind  will  be 
needed  for  the  appreciation  of  the  extraordinary 
beauty  of  the  Coro.  When  you  have  wondered 
at  the  exceeding  richness  of  the  I5th-i6th 
Century  stalls, — especially  of  the  upper  row, — you 
will  look  above  them  and  see  the  genealogy  of 
Jesus  Christ  carved  in  alabaster.  But  the  orna- 
mentation of  the  Lower  Stalls  is  not  only  beautiful 
in  itself,  it  contains  a  most  valuable  historical  record. 
The  campaigns  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella, — (the 
surrender  of  the  Alhambra  included),  are  here 
represented,  by  a  contemporary  artist,  El  Maestro 
Rodrigo.  Make  a  note  of  the  name  of  Vigarny, 
who  is  responsible  for  thirty-five  of  the  stalls,  for  a 
great  work  of  his  will  be  seen  later,  at  Granada. 
He  died  at  Toledo  in  1543,  and  is  buried  here. 
Between  the  two  Coros,  two  wondrous  pulpits  of 
metal  gilt  must  be  admired.  They  will  be  sugges- 
tive, too,  of  feelings  other  than  admiration.  They 
were  formed  of  the  bronze  tomb  erected  for  himself 
by  Alvaro  de  Luna,  Constable  of  Castile,  Master  of 
the  Order  of  Santiago.  That  tomb  was  broken  up 
by  the  spiteful  Henry,  Infante  of  Aragon,  in  petty 
revenge  for  his  own  defeat  at  Olmedo.  However, 
the  great  Alvaro  had  also  erected  the  fine  Gothic 
Chapel  of  Santiago,  as  the  family  burial-place  ;  that 
has  been  spared,  and  there  he  was  laid,  after 
his  execution,  by  his  ungrateful  and  vindictive 
Sovereign.  The  present  alabaster  tombs  (muti- 
lated) containing  his  headless  body,  and  that  of  his 


166  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

wife,  were  erected  by  his  daughter.  The  Capilla 
Mayor,  beautiful  in  itself,  and  possessing  a  superb 
retablo  (1500),  contains  the  tombs  of  some  of  the 
older  Kings,  "  los  Reyes  Viejos " ;  Alonzo  VII, 
Sancho  El  Deseado,  and  Sancho  el  Brevo;  the 
Infante  Don  Pedro,  and  other  Princes.  Here  also 
lies  the  famous  Cardinal  Mendoza.  He  was  the 
great  adviser  and  counsellor  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  and  was  even  termed  "  Tertius  Rex." 
One  is  reminded  of  another  Cardinal  with  his  "  Ego 
et  Rex  Meus "  !  But  Mendoza  was  a  shrewder 
man  than  Wolsey.  Next  to  the  Santiago  Chapel 
is  that  of  the  New  Kings,  "  Los  Reyes  Nuevos." 
The  tombs  here  are  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
Cathedral,  and  the  most  interesting.  Here  lies 
buried,  Enrique  II,  his  wife  Juana,  and  their  son 
Juan  I  and  his  wife  Leonora,  (1 379-1 390),  En- 
rique III  and  his  wife  Catherine,  daughter  of  John 
of  Gaunt,  "time-honoured  Lancaster."  It  was 
through  his  descent  from  Catherine  that  Philip  II 
claimed  the  English  throne.  It  will  be  remembered, 
too,  that  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  amongst  her  other 
nefarious  deeds,  had  made  over  her  rights  to 
Philip  II,  and  had  disinherited  her  son  James  for 
heresy.  Her  action  was  confirmed  by  the  Pope 
of  the  day.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  Philip 
regarded  the  English  crown,  upon  the  death  of 
Mary,  as  his  own  de  jtire  if  not  de  facto. 
Thence,  the  Spanish  Armada,  hurled  against  his 
usurping  sister-in-law, — was,  in  his  eyes,  as  in 
those  of  the  Holy  Father,  the  logical  assertion  of 
his  rights. 


TOLEDO   CATHEDRAL  167 

The    Virgin    Mary,    having    taken    under    her 
especial   protection   the   Cathedral   of  Toledo,  and 
also    San    Ildefonso,    Primate   of    Toledo,    in    the 
7th    Century,    it    will    be    taken    for   granted    that 
the  Cathedral  is  not  without  visible  signs  and  traces 
of  the  Madonna,  and  of  her  protege".     A  famous 
Image  in  black  wood,  of  the  Virgin,  enthroned  and 
enshrined,  and  canopied  by  silver  work,  will  be  seen 
in  the  Capilla  de  Nuestra  Senora.     In  the  Chapel 
of  San  Ildefonso  will  be  seen  the  re al  slab,  encased 
and  railed  off,  whereon  the  Virgin  alighted,  when 
she  descended   from   above,   bearing  with   her  the 
sacred  "casulla"  or  chasuble,  with  which  she  pre- 
sented the   favoured    Saint.     A   pyramidal   Gothic 
shrine  has  been  erected  over  the  sacred  spot.     The 
famous  sculptor  Vigarny  has  here  represented  the 
oft-depicted  miracle  in  some  fine  bassi-relievi.     The 
body  of  San  Ildefonso,  and  the  Image  of  the  Virgin 
have  alike  gone  through  strange  vicissitudes,  of  not 
an  unfamiliar  type.     They  have  been  carried  off, — 
lost,  concealed,  and  eventually  recovered.    Of  course 
the  Virgin,  or  rather  her  sacred   Image,  has  been 
bounteously    endowed   with   a    Regalia   of  jewels ; 
rings,    bracelets,    crowns,     necklaces     have     been 
showered  upon  her.     She  also  possesses,   (or  did 
possess,)  a  wonderful  manto  (I  am  not  sure  whether 
or  not  this  was  the  "casulla"  which  she  presented 
to  S.  Ildefonso,)  which  was  a  mass  of  decoration, 
in  precious  stones. 

None  of  these  precious  objects  can  be  seen, 
unless,  perhaps,  upon  a  festal  day.  Repeated 
depredations    have    made    the    Chapter    nervous. 


168  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Masses  of  jewels,  and  even  the  sacred  Image  itself, 
were  once   carried   off  to    Paris   by  the   universal 
plunderers — the  French.     Only  thirty  years  ago,  a 
successful  thief  carried  off  a  crown  and  bracelets. 
Whether  it  be  a  Pope,  e.g.,  Pius  VII,  whose  needs 
urged  him  to  draw  upon  the  equally  blazing  shrine 
of  our  Lady  of  Loreto,  or  a  thief,  who  considers 
that  his  bodily  wants  excuse  him  for  appropriating 
some  of  the  superfluous  jewels  that  adorn  a  black 
doll,  one's  sympathies  are  rather  with  the  despoiler, 
than  the  despoiled.     Rich  vestments,  embroidered 
albs,  and  chasubles,  vessels  of  silver  and  gold,  "incen- 
sarios,"  "  relicarios,"  for  the  service  of  the  Church 
and  the  Priesthood,  and  so  forth,  are  quite  other 
matters,  and  some  magnificent  specimens  of  all  such 
things  maybe  seen  in  the  "Ochavo"  where  they 
are  stored.     It  will  be  disappointing  to  those,  who 
are  eagerly  hunting  after  Moorish  workmanship,  to 
find  so  few  traces  in  this  Cathedral  of  Moorish  Art. 
In  the  Chapel  of  San  Eugenio,  there  is  an  arch  and 
tomb  of  "Turkish"  work,  with  Arabic  inscriptions, 
and  a  splendid   ceiling    in   the   Sala   Capitular  de 
In  vista,  which  are  proofs  that  their  Spanish  masters 
sometimes   had   to  confess   that    the   hand  of  the 
conquered  Race  could  still  make  itself  felt  in  Art 
if  no  longer  in  War. 


CHAPTER   VII 


TOLEDO 


Sala  Capitular — Series  of  Portraits  of  Primates — Unique  position 
of  the  Primates — Wealth  of  the  See — Cardinal  Wolsey's 
Pension — Archbishop  Carillo — His  immense  power — Fame 
of  Archbishop  Ximenes — His  encouragement  of  learning — 
His  Greek  Testament  published — A  merciless  Persecutor — 
Grand  Inquisitor — The  "Black  Friar"  of  Philip  and  Mary — 
Ancient  Frescoes  in  Capilla  de  San  Bias — Archbishop 
Tenorio  here  interred  —  Beautiful  Cloisters  —  Tenorio's 
"Pious  Fraud,"  to  oust  the  Jews — Bridges  Alcantara;  S. 
Martino — Tenorio,  an  "  all-round  man  " — Pagoda-like  Tower 
of  Cathedral — Archbishop's  Palace  and  Town- Hall  "much 
criticised  " — Cathedral ;  exterior  less  impressive  than  interior 
—  No  circuit  possible  —  Toledo  Cathedral  the  Spanish 
Lateran — The  Pope  and  the  Spanish  Sovereign  always 
Canons — Fined  if  failing  to  attend  Christmas  Chapter — 
Church  of  S.  Juan  de  Los  Reyes — Fine  views  thence — The 
Church,  built  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella — Rack  and  Ruin — 
Pronunciation  of  "Juan"  —  Chapel  better  preserved  — 
Modern  Sword-factory — Toledo  blades  still  sought  after — 
Toledo-streets  —  Massive  Doors — Street  architecture  not 
specially  Moorish — Weirdly  picturesque  effect  of  Toledo. 

IN  the  last-mentioned  Chapel,  above  the  seats,  is 
a  most  interesting  series  of  portraits, — ninety- 
four  in  number, — of  the  Primates.  From  Ximenes 
downwards  ;  they  are  said  to  be  from  life.     In  a 

169 


170  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

priest-governed  country  like  Spain,  the  Primates  of 
Toledo  have  always  made  their  influence  felt  for 
good  or  for  evil.  Many  of  them  have  been  the 
counsellors,  and  Prime  Ministers  of  monarchs,  who 
have  not  been  averse  in  many  instances,  to  draw 
upon  the  revenues  of  the  richest  Spanish  See,  when 
urged  by  necessity,  or  avarice.  The  portrait  of 
Cardinal  Archbishop  Sandoval,  by  Tristan,  recalls 
such  an  instance  of  trafficking  in  ecclesiastical  funds. 
He  owed  both  his  hat  and  his  mitre  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  uncle  to  the  Duque  de  Lerma,  the  powerful 
Prime  Minister  of  Philip  III.  The  Duque  de 
Lerma,  (I  suppose  as  a  quid  pro  quo)  was  then  able 
to  abstract  from  the  ecclesiastical  revenues  a  sum  of 
,£20,000  a  year.  We  must  hope  that  the  sum  did 
not  remain  in  the  Duke's  personal  chest.  A  still 
more  singular  instance  of  Church  property  being 
regarded  as  an  available  source  of  profit  to  State 
and  Statesman  may  be  mentioned.  The  Revenues 
of  this  See  were  charged  with  a  pension  to  Cardinal 
Wolsey,  by  the  orders  of  Charles  V  !  Amongst 
other  notable  portraits  may  be  cited  Archbishop 
Carillo,  noted  for  his  power  over  Isabella  the 
Catholic,  and  for  his  resistance  to  Papal  dominion 
in  Spain.  He  actually  drove  Ximenes  out  of  a 
living,  which  he  had  received  from  the  Pope,  and 
imprisoned  him  for  six  years  for  opposition  to  his 
will.  Cardinal  Mendoza  has  already  been  referred 
to.  His  portrait  is  by  Borgona.  The  portrait  of 
Ximenes  is  also  by  Borgona.  Ximenes  was 
certainly  one  of  the  greatest  men  that  Spain  has 
produced.     He  restored  the  "Mozarabic"  Liturgy, 


TOLEDO  171 

and  to  this  day  it  is  still  celebrated  in  the  Chapel 
so-called,   in    this   Cathedral,  and  which  was    built 
and  endowed  by  him.     He  was  Prime  Minister  to 
Ferdinand    and    Isabella,    and    Regent    of    Spain 
during  the  minority  of  their  grandson  Charles  V. 
It   was   owing:   to   his   firmness   that    Charles  was 
acknowledged  King  upon  the  death  of  Ferdinand — 
a  service  most  ill-acknowledged  by  Charles.     The 
chief  glory  of  Ximenes  was  the  impulse  which  he 
gave  to  the  revival  of  learning  and  the  study  of  the 
Hebrew  and  Greek  languages.     From  the  Univer- 
sity of  Alcala,  which  he  founded,  issued  his  Polyglot 
Bible.      The    New   Testament    in    Greek   was    in 
Spanish  hands,  two  years  before  that  of  Erasmus, 
and  eight  years  before  that  of  Luther  appeared. 
Notwithstanding    his    enlightened   views,    and    his 
desire  that  men  should  have  recourse  to  the  source 
and  fountain  of  the  Christian  Religion,  he  was  as 
intolerant  a  persecutor  as  most  of  his  brotherhood. 
He  was  Grand  Inquisitor  for  eleven  years  whilst 
hundreds  were  burned  for  their  religious  views  by 
his  orders.     "  Carranza  de  Miranda,"  (by  Luis  de 
Carbajal,)  must   be  looked  at.     He  was  the  cele- 
brated  "Black   Friar"  of  Mary's  time.     He  went 
to  England  with  Philip  as  Confessor,  and  exerted 
great  and  baneful  influence  over  Philip's  wife.     He 
attended  Charles  V  during  his  last  hours,  but  did 
not   soothe    them,    for   his   peculiarly   harsh    voice 
annoyed  Charles's  highly  strung  nerves. 

I  think  that  the  last  of  the  Primates  of  Toledo 
who  exercised  a  great  influence  upon  the  destinies 
of   Spain  was    Puerto   Carrero,   Prime  Minister  of 


172 


SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 


Charles  II,  the  last  of  the  Spanish  House.  Carrero 
was,  for  some  reason  or  another,  devoted  to 
Louis  XIV,  and  was  determined  that  Charles 
should  leave  his  possessions  to  France,  and  not 
to  Austria,  which  latter  course  the  King  had  been 
desirous  of  adopting-.  As  we  know,  the  Cardinal 
triumphed.  If  the  light  will  allow  you,  try  and 
decipher  the  very  ancient  frescoes  in  the  Capilla  de 
San  Bias.  They  are  grotesque,  are  said  to  be  of 
the  14th  Century,  and  are  probably  the  oldest 
paintings  in  Spain,  where  such  things  do  not 
abound  as  in  Italy.  Archbishop  Tenorio, — the 
energetic  founder  of  the  Cathedral,  and  the  be- 
ginner of  the  great  picturesque  Tower,  lies  interred 
in  this  chapel.  The  beautiful  Cloisters,  a  most 
attractive  spot,  were  also  erected  by  him.  It  was 
formerly  the  Jews'  Market-place.  Tenorio  wanted 
at  first  to  buy  it  of  them,  but  as  they  would  not 
come  to  terms,  he  conceived  a  brilliant  idea,  that 
of  dispossessing  them.  He  instigated  the  mob  to 
burn  them  out,  and  thus  obtained  the  coveted  site 
for  nothing.     Truly  Jesuitical ! 

Archbishop  Tenorio  was,  what  we  should  call, 
an  "  all-round "  man,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
most  things.  Both  the  bridges,  the  "Alcantara," 
and  "  San  Martino,"  are  indebted  to  him  for  restora- 
tions and  additions.  His  Tower,  turreted  and 
pinnacled,  though  he  did  not  complete  it,  is  of 
mixed  styles,  here  square,  there  an  octagon,  and 
over  three  hundred  feet  high.  It  is  picturesque 
rather  than  fine,  and  almost  a  pagoda  towards  the 
summit  with  projecting  spikes,  like  a  tiara  of  thorns, 


TOLEDO  173 

in  three  rows.  The  Gothic  Cloisters,  planted  with 
shrubs  and  flowers,  invite  you  to  repose,  after  a 
prolonged  tramp  among  tombs  and  monuments. 
It  is  the  prettiest  place  in  Toledo,  and  the  worthy 
couple,  who  have  appointed  themselves  custodians 
thereof,  will  give  you  flowers,  and  will  discoun- 
tenance those  naughty  beggars  who  have  been 
scenting  the  open-hearted  foreigner  from  afar. 
You  can  approach  the  Cloisters  from  a  fine  stair- 
case, (which  leads  to  the  upper  storey,)  from  the 
Capilla  de  San  Bias,  before  mentioned,  or  from 
three  beautiful  portals,  below,  viz.,  the  Puerta  di 
Santa  Catalina,  the  Puerta  de  la  Presentacion,  and 
the  Puerta  de  los  Canonigos.  The  two  last  are  in 
the  transition  style,  from  Gothic,  to  what  is  called 
in  Spain  "  plateresque."  The  West  Plaza  of  the 
Cathedral,  where  you  should  have  entered,  contains 
two  fine  buildings ;  the  Archbishop's  Palace,  and 
the  Casa  del  Ayuntamiento  (Town  Hall).  The 
latter  especially  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  ornate 
architecture  of  the  17th  Century.  Both  have  had 
to  suffer   much    harsh    criticism    for   not   being-   in 

o 

better  taste.  You  will  scarcely  be  able  to  get  a 
good  idea  of  the  exterior  of  the  Cathedral  in  its 
entirety.  You  cannot  walk  "  round,"  for  the 
building  is  quite  blocked  by  narrow  streets  upon 
the  North.  But  what  you  do  see,  will  certainly 
not  impress  you  as  much  as  the  exteriors  of  Milan, 
or  Amiens,  or  Seville,  or  Canterbury,  or,  indeed, 
any  twenty  other  Cathedrals  of  the  Gothic  order. 
It  is  the  interior  of  the  Cathedral  that  is  the  glory 
thereof,  and   the   contents   of  the   building.     And 


174  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

that,  notwithstanding  the  lavish  outlay  of  white- 
wash throughout.  You  would  think  that  there 
was  something  absolutely  holy  in  whitewash  here, 
— like  the  red  paint  with  which  the  old  Roman 
Priests  smeared  themselves.  There  is  positively 
an  inscription  over  one  of  the  doors  exalting  the 
name  of  one  of  the  whitewashes,  and  handing 
down  his  name, — with  conscious  pride,  for  the 
admiration  of  future  generations  !  You  must  regard 
Toledo,  and  the  Primacy  thereof,  as  the  Lateran  of 
Spain.  It  assumed  the  dignity,  like  the  Roman 
See,  of  the  Mother  of  Churches  in  Spain.  The 
Primate  was  almost  always  a  sort  of  rival  to  the 
Roman  Pontiff,  and  to  his  behests  and  decisions 
far  greater  deference  was  paid  than  to  the  Holy 
Father,  not  only  as  being  a  great  Prince  in 
spiritual  matters,  but  as  a  great  Column  of  the 
State.  And  when  he  added  to  his  dignities,  as 
he  generally  did,  the  overwhelming  influence  of 
Grand  Inquisitor,  it  may  be  supposed  that  he  was 
scarcely  the  inferior  of  the  Monarch.  It  was  the 
privilege  and  pride  of  the  Pope  himself,  as  of  the 
Kings  of  Spain,  to  be  Canons  of  the  Chapter  of 
which  nearly  a  hundred  great  spiritual  dignitaries 
consisted.  The  Kings  of  Spain  were  fined  heavy 
sums,  if  they  failed  as  Canons,  to  put  in  an  appear- 
ance at  Christmas-tide. 

There  is  in  Toledo  so  much  to  see  and  ponder 
over,  that  you  must  make  more  than  a  flying  visit 
to  this  most  interesting  City.  But  if  you  cannot 
Sfo  round  her  old  battlements,  and  mark  well  her 
bulwarks,  and  her  two  lines  of  defences,  you  must 


TOLEDO  175 

take  up  a  position  upon  the  elevated  bluff,  whereon 
stands  the  famous  and  now  ruinous  Church  of  San 
Juan  de  Los  Reyes.     Thence  you  may  behold  the 
grand   one-arched    Bridge   of    San    Martin   which 
spans  the  swelling  waters  of  the  Tagus  that  storms 
along  far  below,  and  coursing  between  its  crumbling 
banks,  reflects,  upon  either  side  of  it,  the  ruined 
remains  of  many  epochs.      It   is  a  scene  fraught 
with  historical  interest.     And  having  taken  all  this 
into  your  historical  conscience,  you  will  turn  round 
and  see  the  Church,  above  referred  to,  (mind  you 
say  San  "Kwan" — very  quickly  too,  for  they  will 
not  here  understand  your  excellent  pronunciation, 
"  Huan").     It  is  unexplained  that  such  a  beautiful 
Church, — of  very  fine  Gothic,  built  by  Ferdinand 
and    Isabella,   and  once    intended    by  them    to   be       * 
their  place  of  sepulture,  should  have  been  allowed 
to  go  to  rack  and    ruin.      The  statues  of  Saints 
upon  the  walls  are  headless  and  mutilated  ;  badges, 
shields,    and    most    of    the    beautiful    ornamented 
details,    defaced,    and   crumbling.      The   chief  en- 
trance, and    the   Cloisters,   too,   are   quite   uncared 
for,  but  still  beautiful.     The  Convent-Chapel  owes 
its  better  preservation  to  the  fact  that  it  served  as 
a  stable  for  the  French  Invaders  whose  names  are 
more    generally    synonymous    with     plunder    and 
destruction.      Upon    the   walls    are    hung    chains. 
They  are    the    fetters  of  Christian    prisoners  who 
were  released    from   Moorish   dungeons   upon    the 
fall  of  Granada.     A   portion  of  the   Convent  has 
been  turned  into  a  Museum  of  little  value.     A  few 
steps  further  you  will  come  upon  the  modern  Arms- 


176  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

Manufactory,  for  Toledo  still  exercises  the  Art  of 
producing  sword-blades,  and  the  damascened  work 
for  which  she  was  always  famous.  Outside  the 
building-  there  are  large  modern  plaques  and  tiles 
bearing  the  Royal  arms  and  other  devices.  If 
Toledo  does  not  look  exactly  Moorish  (and  I  think 
that  the  slanting  irregular  roofs  of  faded  tiles  are 
rather  European  than  Eastern),  its  appearance  of 
hoary  antiquity  will  satisfy  the  archaeological  pro- 
clivities of  most  people.  The  old  square  Towers, 
pierced  occasionally  with  Moorish  horse-shoe 
windows,  the  irregular,  tortuous  streets,  with  their 
balconies,  and  bow-windows,  and  the  beautiful, 
singularly  massive  doors,  studded  with  nails  and 
bosses,  whence  issue  hooded  forms,  black-hooded, 
and  black-draped,  (like  ghosts  from  the  buried 
past,) — all  these  things  are  of  immense  and  pictu- 
resque interest.  I  can  imagine  an  artist  unwilling 
to  tear  himself  away,  until  he  has  illustrated  all  the 
phases,  Gothic,  Moorish  and  Spanish,  with  which 
Toledo  is  so  replete.  Even  the  ordinary  tourist 
is  loth  to  go,  crammed  as  he  is  with  his  recently- 
stirred  memories  of  Wambas  and  Roderics  and 
Count  Julians,  and  Moorish  Sovereigns,  and 
Alonzos,  down  to  the  comparatively  modern 
Ferdinands,  Tenorios,  Ximenes  and  Mendozas. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CORDOVA 

Yellow  aspect  of  Country— "La  Mancha"  or  "Dry  Land" — 
Sparse  population — Sites  historical — Aranjuez  and  Palace — 
Capo  di  Monte  ware — Villapefias-wine — Le  Navas  de  Tolosa 
— Moorish  defeat  near — A  mining  centre — Linares,  and 
a  Roman  Victory — The  Guadalquivir — "  Lifts  you  "  to 
Cordova — Corduba,  "Gem  of  the  South" — A  Roman 
Colony — Magnificence  as  Moorish  Capital — Birthplace  of 
great  Romans — Excavations  of  City  urged — Indifference 
of  Spaniards  —  Possible  reasons  —  Antiquarian  treasures 
awaiting  research — Charles  V  upon  the  desecration  of  Mosque 
— Details  of  the  splendours  of  the  Caliphate — Great  extent 
of  the  City — A  Dream  of  Cordova — Tennyson's  "  Haroun- 
al-Raschid" — Roman  Mosaic  unearthed. 

IF  there  be  travellers  who  have  come  to  Spain, 
with  the  expectation  of  seeing  the  loveliness  of 
Umbrian  and  Tuscan  scenes,  and  sites,  even  faintly 
reproduced  in  this  country,  they  will  speedily  have 
to  renounce  such  pleasing  dreams  of  fancy.  Yellow 
table-lands,  arid  hills,  treeless,  and  generally  water- 
less plains,  those  are  the  physical  features  of  the 
country  which  the  railway  traverses.  The  district 
of  La  Mancha  (especially  immortalised  by  some  of 

12  177 


178  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

the  adventures  of  the  Knight  of  Cervantes'  creation,) 
with  its  tawny  steppes,  and  barren  plains,  is  indeed 
the  very  synonyme,  as  its  name  imports — of"  Dry 
Land."  Genius  can  idealise  even  such  sterility  as 
this.  But  what  an  absence  of  human  beings !  An 
occasional  group  of  bemantled  peasants, — with  gaily 
caparisoned  horses,  and  mules,  gathered  around  a 
village  inn  ; — a  few  toilers  in  the  yellow  fields, — just 
rescue  the  country  from  the  reproach  of  complete 
abandonment.  But,  disappointing  and  even  de- 
pressing as  the  aspect  of  the  country  may  be,  these 
are  still  sites  of  historical  interest,  and  districts  of 
mineral  wealth  which  relieve  the  monotonous 
character  of  the  country. 

Aranjuez,  with  its  Royal  Palace,  and  its  frescoed 
walls,  and  its  hoard  of  the  famous  "  Buen  Retiro  " 
china,  and  its  avenues  and  gardens,  where  are  the 
famous  elm-trees,  imported  by  Philip  II  from 
England,  and  immortalised  by  Evelyn.  The  "  Buen 
Retiro  "  is  the  same  ware  as  the  notable  "  Capo  di 
Monte "  of  Naples.  The  fabric  was  here,  set  up 
by  Charles  II  of  Naples  and  Spain.  Then  you 
pass  (for  there  is  no  cause  to  descend)  Villapefias, — 
so  noted  for  its  excellent  and  strongish  wine  of  a 
Burgundy  kind.  You  will  find  that  wine  more 
generally  drunk  in  Spain  than  any  other,  with  the 
exception,  perhaps,  of  Xeres. 

Near  the  Station  of  Vidher  is  Le  Navas  de 
Tolosa,  famous  for  a  crushing  Moorish  defeat  in 
the  13th  Century  by  Alonzo  VIII.  At  Linares  the 
railway  traverses  a  great  mining  centre,  a  district 
rich   in   copper,  and    lead,   and  even  silver.     It  is 


CORDOVA  179 

chiefly  owing  to  the  enterprise  of  British  owners 
that  the  mineral  wealth  has  been  exploited.  When 
will  the  Spaniards  wake  up,  and  realise  how  great 
are  the  resources  of  their  native  country  !  Not  far 
from  the  Linares  Station  is  another  famous,  and  yet 
more  ancient  Battle-field,  where  Scipio  gained  one 
of  his  many  victories.  What  debts  do  we  not  owe 
to  Romans  and  Moors  for  strewing  with  the  laurels 
of  their  fame  these  unpromising  and  unprolific 
plains  ?  The  Guadalquivir  is  crossed  two  or  three 
times  during  the  journey.  As  we  approach  Cor- 
dova, we  are  conscious,  at  last,  of  a  most  grateful 
verdancy,  of  pomegranate  groves,  of  orange  and 
lemon-trees,  of  olive-trees,  and  of  waving  crops. 
Finally  the  grand  river  seems  to  give  us  another 
lift  upon  its  broad  shining  shoulders,  and  sets  us 
down  at  Cordova  Station,  from  whence  the  famous 
City  is  scarcely  visible. 

Cordova !  "  The  Gem  of  the  South,"  as  the 
Carthaginians  called  her,  Corduba  "  Patricia,"  par 
excellence,  of  the  Romans.  Desolated  and  depopu- 
lated by  Claudius  Marcellus,  about  56  b.c.  for 
having  sided  with  Pompey,  thousands  of  impe- 
cunious Roman  Patricians  were  given  a  home  here 
by  the  ever  vigilant  Julius  Caesar.  We  hear  little 
of  Cordova  in  the  Gothic  epoch.  But  under  the 
Moors,  breaking  away  from  the  Caliphate  of 
Damascus,  it  became  the  Capital  of  Moorish  Spain, 
the  Athens  of  the  West,  and  for  five  hundred  years 
maintained  a  splendid  supremacy.  The  magnificent 
statistics  of  the  City,  during  the  Moorish  sway,  are 
quite  startling.     A  million   inhabitants,  with  three 


180  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

hundred  mosques  to  worship  in,  nine  hundred 
baths  for  their  ablutions,  and  six  hundred  inns  for 
the  entertainment  of  the  faithful,  give  some  idea  of 
the  magnitude  of  Cordova  as  well  as  of  the  atten- 
tion paid  to  the  behests  of  Mahomet.  What  city 
indeed,  since  the  decadence  of  Rome,  and  Antioch, 
and  Syracuse,  could  have  surpassed  her !  She  gave 
birth,  too,  to  such  noble  Romans  as  Seneca  and 
Lucan,  and  to  one  of  the  greatest  of  Spaniards, 
"  El  Gran  Capitano  "  Guzades  de  Cordova,  and  the 
Jew,  Moses-Maimonides,  the  most  famous  of  the 
Commentators  on  the  Talmud.  And  hence  it  was, 
upon  the  capture  of  the  City  by  St.  Ferdinand,  in 
1235,  that  Ibnu-1-Ahmar  went  off  to  Granada  to 
re-found  the  last  splendid  seat  of  the  Moors  upon 
the  eyry  Fortress  of  the  Alhambra.  Cordova,  in 
her  ancient  splendour,  may  be  likened  to  Damascus, 
to  Antioch,  to  Athens,  to  Bagdad  or  to  Florence. 
For  she  rivalled  all  those  great  cities  in  pride  of 
place,  in  learning,  in  wealth,  and  luxury,  and  in  the 
arts  and  sciences.  But  now  how  shrunken  and 
faded  !  Her  silent  and  grass-grown  streets  a  world 
too  large  for  the  insignificance  of  to-day  ! 

Were  we  not  in  Spain,  it  would  seem  strangely 
unenterprising  that  so  famous  a  city  should  not 
have  been  partially  restored  to  the  light  of  day  ; 
that  old  Cordova  should  not  have  given  up  some 
of  its  secrets  for  the  study  of  the  historian,  for  the 
delight  of  the  antiquarian.  It  has  been  with  com- 
paratively slight  labour  that  Athens,  and  Rome, 
Pompeii  and  Ostia  have  been  reconstructed,  and 
that  even  the  infinitely  more  ancient  sites  of  Thebes, 


CORDOVA  181 

Memphis,  Nineveh,  and  Babylon,  have  been  laid 
bare  before  us.  A  few  hundred  picks  and  shovels 
wielded  by  stout  arms,  and  backed  up  by  intelligence 
and  enthusiasm,  and  the  dry  bones  of  extinct  civili- 
sation are  re-animated  by  some  flashes  of  their 
ancient  fire. 

Is  there  still  amongst  the  Spaniards  some  crass 
indifference  to  the  glories  of  their  former  rulers  ; — 
some  jealousy  of  heretical  ancestors, — so  much  more 
capable  than  themselves  ?  Or  does  some  stupid 
superstition  still  exist  that  evil  spirits  may  be 
lingering  amongst  and  beneath  the  old  Seats  of  the 
Moorish  Power?  It  is  well  known  how  many 
legends  of  the  kind, — begotten  of  ignorance  and 
fear, — are  still  current  in  the  courts  and  colonnades 
of  the  Alhambra.  Modern  Cordova,  such  as  it  is, 
has  been  raised  upon  the  old.  But  it  would  not  be 
requisite  only  to  rummage  there.  The  ruins  of 
so  vast  a  city  must  extend  far  away  into  what  is 
now  the  country.  Very  unlaborious  diggings 
would  disclose  portions  of  the  innumerable  mosques, 
baths,  palaces,  academies,  and  libraries  which 
formerly  rendered  Cordova  proverbial  for  magni- 
ficence. And  even  allowing  that  many  of  the 
details  of  those  buildings,  that  much  of  the  orna- 
mentation may  have  been  of  a  perishable  nature, — 
as  at  Pompeii  and  elsewhere, — we  know  from  the 
remains  of  the  great  mosque,  and  of  the  Granada 
Alhambra,  that  the  composition  of  the  walls  and 
towers  was  of  a  cement  defying  time,  and  rivalling 
that  of  Rome  in  its  indestructibility.  The  Moors, 
too,  took  pleasure  in  the  employment  of  precious 


182  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

marbles,  and  putting  upon  one  side  the  great 
resources  which  they  possessed  near  at  hand,  they 
imported  from  distant  lands  every  kind  of  that 
valuable  material,  as  we  see  in  the  many-coloured 
monoliths  still  erect  in  their  Great  Mosque.  Of  the 
beautiful  Azulejos-work,  too,  which  is  practically 
indestructible,  there  must  be  almost  inexhaustible 
supplies  very  near  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

The  desire  for  these  radiant  tilings,  alone,  should 
urge  the  modern  Spaniards  to  "wake  up."  For 
the  Azulejos-work  is  the  one  art  which  they  have 
not  been  too  proud  to  imitate.  In  many  buildings 
in  Spain,  where  the  Moorish  original  has  to  be 
restored  or  replaced,  you  will  find  the  modern 
artists  as  proficient  as  the  older.  But  these  things 
are  but  details  in  the  greater  discoveries  that  await 
the  excavator.  For  beneath  Cordova  and  its  envi- 
rons mines  of  antiquarian  wealth  are  concealed. 

Though  cupolas,  and  domes,  minarets,  and  por- 
ticoes, have  perished,  there  must  exist  the  ground- 
plans,  at  least,  of  courts  and  corridors,  saloons,  and 
fountains,  and  the  designs  of  which  would  be 
perceptible  even  to  an  unskilled  eye. 

Treasures,  too,  of  wrought  marble  and  stone, 
friezes,  capitals,  and  arabesques,  still  bright  with 
colour.  Six  hundred  years  of  sepulture  is  as  an 
hour  in  the  suspended  life  of  buried  cities,  and  lay 
about  them  as  they  would,  the  captors  of  the  great 
City,  in  the  13th  Century,  must  have  found  the 
work  of  total  obliteration  too  much  even  for  them. 
Their  fanatical  and  destructive  ardour  was,  we  have 
seen,   baffled  by    the  indestructibility  of  the  Great 


CORDOVA  183 

Mosque  itself.  In  similar  instances  destruction  has 
been  found  to  be  an  undertaking  almost  as  laborious 
as  that  of  construction.  The  Spanish  conquerors, 
in  the  case  of  the  Mosque,  at  least,  had  to  confess 
with  a  sigh,  that  the  task  of  destruction  was  too 
hard  for  them.  Even  three  hundred  years  later  on 
when  scooping  their  Coro  out  of  the  Mosque,  their 
destructive  hands  were  stayed  rather  by  the  solidity 
of  the  great  structure  than  by  respect  for  the 
superlative  qualities  of  the  architecture.  And  what 
they  did  effect  in  the  way  of  spoliation  was  justly 
condemned  by  Charles  V,  on  his  visit  to  Cordova, 
two  years  later. 

He  said,  "You  have  built  here  what  you,  or 
any  one,  could  have  built  elsewhere.  But  in  doing 
so  you  have  destroyed  what  was  unique  in  the 
world."  Brave  words !  and  braver  still,  Charles 
would  have  been,  had  he  stepped  in  earlier,  and 
forbidden  the  sacrilege.  It  is  a  matter  of  wonder 
to  us  now,  how  so  much  of  the  City  could  ever  have 
disappeared.  It  is  true  that  ruins  have  a  way, — a 
pathetic  way, — of  getting  themselves  covered  up 
and  concealed.  Yet,  directly  the  skilful  excavator 
comes  upon  the  scene,  that  which,  hitherto,  has 
seemed  to  be  a  shapeless  mass  of  "ruinous  con- 
fusion,"— "a  mighty  maze  without  a  plan," — turns 
out  to  be  anything  but  undecipherable. 

And  what  does  the  historian  tell  us,  in  brief,  of 
the  extent  and  magnificence  of  Cordova  ?  We 
need  not  re-enumerate  the  details  of  mosques,  baths, 
shops,  academies,  inns,  libraries,  and  so  forth,  that 
existed   principally   in   the  heart  of  the  City.     We 


184  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

hear  that  the  banks  of  the  Guadalquiver  for  twenty- 
four  miles  in  length,  and  six  miles  in  breadth,  were 
crowded  with  palaces,  mosques,  streets,  gardens, 
and  public  edifices.  That,  for  ten  miles  these 
thoroughfares  were  lit  up  during  the  night — "lamps 
which  outburn'd  Canopus."  Those  who  have  seen 
the  Alhambra,  or  who  have  steeped  themselves  in 
the  "Arabian  Nights,"  may  imagine  the  scene.  The 
gorgeous  magnificence  of  the  fairy-like  palaces, — 
tempered  by  the  exquisite  and  harmonious  taste  of 
the  Saracen  architects  ;  the  arcades  and  alcoves  ; 
the  fretted  balustrades  and  balconies  ;  the  golden 
pavilions,  the  marble  stairs  and  columns,  the  odorous 
bowers,  the  patios  with  their  spangled  fountains, 
the  doors  of  cedar, — the  shrines  blazing  with  a 
thousand  tints !  Do  not  a  thousand  vestiges  of 
such  splendour  await  the  researches  of  the  tardy 
excavator?  At  least,  we  should  like  to  thread  our 
way  through  the  tangled  mazes  of  such  remains,  as 
we  do  at  Pompeii  or  in  Egyptian  Thebes.  The 
least  imaginative  of  us,  would  like  to  give  the  reins 
to  his  fancy,  and  to  evoke  the  memories  of  those 
who  flitted  their  brief  hours  of  splendour  amid  these 
palaces  and  mosques.  To  imagine,  that  we  saw 
again  reflected  in  the  fountains  and  running  waters, 
the  flashing  eyes,  the  graceful  forms  of  Fatimas  and 
Zuliekas,  or  the  long-garbed,  mailed  figures  of  those 
dusky  warriors, — the  Mucas  and  the  Abdullahs, — 
who  still  warm  from  the  embraces  of  such  Houris, 
leaped  into  the  saddle,  and  rode  forth  to  the  hotter 
frenzy  of  battle ! 

It  needs  but  the  removal, — the  uncovering,  of  a 


CORDOVA  185 

few  leagues  of  earth,  and  with  the  pliancy  of  a 
willing  imagination,  we  could  conjure  up  again  the 
vision  of  an  enchanting  City  where  Babylon  and 
Bagdad  were  rivalled,  and  whose  delights  very  far 
outshone  the  banal  attractions  of  all  our  modern 
capitals.  And  how  Tennyson,  in  his  exquisite 
dream  of  Bagdad, — in  the  "golden  prime  of  good 
Haroun-al-Raschid," — would  aid  us  in  our  dream! 
A  Roman  mosaic, — unearthed  beneath  a  shoe- 
maker's shop,  (unwittingly,  perhaps,) — has  stimu- 
lated somewhat  the  preceding  reflections.  If  a 
relic  of  that  elder  time  has  come  down  to  us,  does 
not  that  urge  us  on  to  supplicate  the  Spaniards 
to  show  a  little  inquisitiveness  as  to  the  traces  of 
their  great  forerunners  ? 


CHAPTER    IX 

CORDOVA — THE    MOSQUE 

Cordova  Cathedral  or  Mosque — Marble  Columns — General  im- 
pressions— An  architectural  Garden — Roman  occupation  of 
the  site — Utilisation  of  ancient  materials — Unique  character 
of  this  Mosque — The  Maksurah — "  Caliph's  Seat  " — Cupola 
of  Capilla  de  San  Pedro — Mihrab  or  "  Sanctuary  "— 
Exterior  Walls — Puerta  del  Perdon — Campanile — Court  of 
Oranges — Roman  Miliary  Columns — Reflections  in  Court  of 
Oranges — A  Saracen  Renaissance — The  Mosque  a  "  Pharos 
of  Art " — Unique  among  all  Mosques — Cordova's  venerable 
appearance — Antiquity  of  Bridge — Moorish  Mills  in  River — 
Fortress-like  character  of  the  Mosque — Modern  aspects  of 
City  contrasted  with  ancient. 

I  CAN  quite  picture  to  myself  that  a  votary  of  the 
Prophet  might  enter  there  to-day,  and  not  be 
conscious  of  any  great  disturbance  having  been 
wrought  in  one  of  the  greatest  shrines  of  his  Faith. 
In  some  one  of  the  sequestered  and  twilight  groves 
of  this  marble  forest,  he  could  unfold  his  praying- 
carpet,  and  with  his  face  Mecca-wards  pour  out  his 
orisons  to  Allah,  scarcely  heeding  the  muffled  music 
of  the  Feringhee  organ  in  the  Coro,  wherein  his 
despoilers  are  invoking  their  God.  Your  first 
impressions, — after  you  recover  from  the  wonder 
and    admiration    which    this    superb    building   has 

186 


CORDOVA— THE  MOSQUE  187 

awakened, — are  those  of  gratitude  and  amazement, 
that  defacement  and  destruction  should  have  been 
so  mercifully  slight.  There  has  been  no  laying 
about  them  of  rude  and  fanatical  hands.  What  the 
builders  of  the  Cathedral  seem  chiefly  to  have  done, 
was  that  they  scooped  out  and  cleared  away  so 
much  of  the  centre  of  the  Mosque  as  they  required 
for  their  Coros  and  High  Altar,  rearing  above,  a 
stately  groined  roof,  and  to  have  placed  Chapels 
and  shrines  in  other  portions  of  the  Moorish  edifice. 
And  they  effected  all  this, — it  seems  to  me, — with 
a  minimum  of  dilapidation.  Much  no  doubt  has 
gone,  but  what  an  immensity  remains !  Of  the 
original  1,200  monolithic  columns,  e.g.,  no  less  than 
1,096  are  still  in  situ.  Each  monolith  is  of  some 
precious  ancient  marble,  of  porphyry,  or  verde 
antique,  or  pavonazetto,  or  jasper.  And  it  is  even 
known  whence  they  came.  Carthage,  Seville,  and 
Tarragona,  Nimes  and  Narbonne,  and  even  dis- 
tant Constantinople, — were  drawn  upon  to  form 
these  groves  of  marble.  The  aisle-avenues,  which 
are  thus  formed,  are  in  number  19  longitudinal  and 
$S  transverse.  One  cannot  doubt  but  that  the 
idea  present  to  the  mind  of  the  architect  was  that 
of  the  lovely  gardens  of  his  native  land. 

These  marble  avenues  seem  to  you  to  be  twilight 
glades  formed  of  low  palm-trees,  which  bend  over, 
one  to  the  other,  and  fling  their  arched  garlands 
from  one  stem  to  the  other.  Were  birds  fluttering 
from  stem  to  stem  and  carolling  in  the  capitals  you 
would  think  it  a  most  natural  mistake.  And  that 
idea  of  a  garden  seems  accentuated  in  the  upper 


188  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

row  of  arches,  upspringing  as  it  were  in  lavish 
fecundity  from  the  grove  beneath.  Just  as  the 
naves  and  aisles  of  the  great  Gothic  Cathedrals 
make  you  think  of  the  noblest  forest-avenues  that 
you  have  seen,  so  this  unsurpassable  Mosque  seems 
to  be  a  reproduction  by  those  consummate  old 
Saracen  artists  of  the  Eastern  eardens  and  glades 
so  loved  of  their  possessors.  Or,  again,  and  it 
seems  to  me  very  consonant  to  the  spirit  of  an 
Eastern, — the  architect  of  this  splendid  fabric  may 
have  had  present  to  his  thought  one  of  the  mar- 
vellous Banyan-trees  of  Orient  lands,  "  that  lavish 
strikes  his  root  reiterant  and  incessant,  begetting 
forests,  till  beneath  the  glades  and  spreading  laby- 
rinths a  multitude  may  couch." 

Picture  to  yourself  the  spectacle,  when  this 
Mosque  shone  in  the  meridian  of  its  splendour, 
twelve  hundred  worshippers,  (one  only  if  you  like, 
for  each  many-hued  column  thereof,)  kneeling  upon, 
and  touching  his  prayer-carpet  with  his  turbaned- 
head,  communing  with  and  invoking  his  God,  just 
as  in  the  groves  of  Paradise  Adam  and  Eve  would 
seek  after  and  bend  before  the  tremendous  and  as 
yet  undreaded  presence  of  their  Father.  Not  at 
Damascus,  nor  in  the  Kaaba  at  Mecca,  nor  in  the 
beauteous  Omar-Mosque  at  Jerusalem,  could  there 
have  been  witnessed  a  scene  more  impressive  in 
solemnity,  more  replete  with  fervid  emotion  !  And 
here  infinitely  more  imposing  in  the  vast  numbers 
of  the  worshippers,  prostrate  in  simultaneous  genu- 
flections. The  name  itself  of  "  Mezquita,"  (or 
Mosque,)  a  title  it  still  bears,  is  derived  from  the 


The  Mosque,  Cordova  (Unrestored  portion). 


To  face  p.  189. 


CORDOVA— THE  MOSQUE  189 

Arabic  word  "  Masegad,"  to  "worship  prostrate." 
The  original  Basilica  which  stood  here  and  which 
served  as  the  old  Cathedral  of  the  Goths,  previous 
to  their  subjugation  by  the  Moors,  stood  upon  the 
site  of  a  Roman  Temple,  dedicated  to  Janus.  Thus 
the  Arabs  were  well  supplied  with  materials  for  the 
erection  of  their  Mosque.  The  greater  number  of 
the  Corinthian  capitals  and  probably  all  those  of  the 
Western  aisles,  (the  most  ancient  portion  of  the 
Arab  building,)  were  of  Roman  workmanship, 
those  of  the  Eastern  aisles  having  been  imitated 
by  the  Arabs.  Nor  are  those  traces  of  the  Roman 
occupation  the  only  relics  of  a  more  ancient  regime 
than  that  of  the  Arabs.  In  the  Capilla  de  San 
Pedro,  ,once  the  Holiest  of  Holies,  the  "Zecca," 
some  very  fine  mosaics  of  Roman  or  Byzantine 
workmanship  will  arouse  your  curiosity.  But  such 
details  of  an  earlier  occupation  of  Cordova  do  not 
in  the  least  affect  the  originality  of  the  Saracen 
architecture.  Nothing  similar  to  this  can  anywhere 
be  seen.  In  Europe,  of  course,  it  is  altogether 
solitary  and  unique.  And  in  the  East  nothing 
precisely  of  the  same  type  is  to  be  met  with.  In 
the  Cupola  of  the  Capilla  de  Villaviciosa,  once 
the  "Maksurah,"  or  "seat  of  the  Caliph,"  will 
be  seen  some  of  that  rich  and  fanciful  ornamenta- 
tion in  stucco,  peculiarly  the  invention  of  the 
Saracens,  and  with  which  we  shall  become  so 
familiar  at  Granada.  Greatly  to  be  admired,  too, 
are  the  cupolas  and  arches  of  the  Capilla  de  San 
Pedro  (referred  to  above,)  where  three  Chapels 
meet ;  the   centre   one  leading   to    the    Mihrab  or 


190  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

"  Sanctuary."  At  the  end  of  the  Capilla  is  a 
lovely  heptagon,  with  a  shell-shaped  roof  of  the 
same  beautiful  stucco-ornamentation. 

The  exterior  of  this  grand  Temple  is  little  less 
to  be  admired  than  the  interior.  Moorish  walls 
and  towers,  from  30  to  60  feet  high,  with  their 
latticed  openings  and  characteristic  ornaments,  so 
massive,  and  unaltered,  are  not  elsewhere  to  be 
seen  in  Europe.  For,  of  the  old  Moorish  walls 
in  Seville  almost  all  has  gone.  The  Puerta 
del  Perdon,  which  is  the  gate  of  access  to  the 
Court  here,  with  its  bronze  plating  of  Gothic  and 
Moorish  texts  is  magnificent.  And  so  is  the 
Campanile,  close  at  hand,  though  inferior  to  the 
splendid  Giralda  Tower  at  Seville,  of  which  it 
seems  to  be  the  prototype.  The  Courtyard  of 
the  "  Oranges  "  forms  a  noble  open  vestibule  to 
the  Temple.  It  is  430  feet  long  by  210  feet  broad. 
Formerly  all  the  nineteen  aisles  of  the  Mosque 
were  approached  from  this  Court.  All  are  closed 
now  with  the  exception  of  three.  Here  are  to  be 
seen  two  very  ancient  relics  of  Roman  times. 
These  are  two  miliary  Columns,  (they  are  supposed 
to  have  formed  part  of  the  old  Temple  of  Janus) 
and  are  inscribed  with  the  distance  from  that 
Temple  to  Cadiz,  the  "  key ':  to  Andalucia,  as  the 
Romans  termed  it,  and  probably  the  most  ancient 
City  in  Europe.  This  Court  is  a  perfect  dream 
of  Southern  beauty.  Huge  orange-trees,  palm- 
trees  and  cypresses,  overgrown  with  roses,  and 
in  the  centre  King  Abd-al- Rahman's  Well.  It  is  a 
spot  to  rest  in,   and  to   reflect  upon   all    that   you 


CORDOVA— THE  MOSQUE  191 

have  seen  to-day,  and  to  steep  yourself  in  Moorish 
traditions  and  in  the  witchery  of  Saracenic  art. 
How  came  such  a  Fabric, — such  a  triumphant 
type  of  Architecture,  unparalleled  even  in  the 
East,  whence  the  type  came,  and  wholly  un- 
known elsewhere  in  Europe,  to  have  sprung  up 
here  in  the  Dark  Ages?  We  all  know  that  in 
the  8th  Century,  throughout  Europe  Art  had 
fled  from  her  ancient  thrones,  and  had  utterly 
deserted  the  abodes  of  those  who  had  been 
civilised.  For  centuries  Athens  had  been  living 
upon  reminiscences  ;  and  upon  the  wrecks  and 
ruins  of  what  had  been  Rome,  a  blackness  of 
ignorance  had  descended,  so  thick,  that  she  had 
forgotten  how  to  build.  Europe,  for  the  most 
part,  was  worshipping  in  woods  and  forests,  or  in 
Stonehenges  or  in  Caves.  Venice  had  not  yet 
arisen.  All  the  Lamps  of  Art  and  Architecture 
had  long  since  been  extinguished.  And  by  whom 
was  the  spark  to  be  rekindled,  by  whose  hands 
was  the  Dunciad  of  ignorance  and  fororetfulness 
to  be  dispelled?  By  Arabs, — by  Saracens, — by  a 
fanatical  Race,  whose  name  was  synonymous  with 
slaughter  and  rapine.  Those  fierce  warriors  were 
to  originate  a  type  of  architecture,  more  exquisite, 
more  refined,  than  the  world  had  yet  seen.  Here, 
more  than  the  budding,  was  the  blossoming  of  the 
original  tree,  which  nurtured  and  tended  into  even 
richer  forms,  was  one  day,  though  very  distant 
yet,  to  develop  into  the  very  Crown  and  apotheosis 
of  all  earthly  architecture, — the  unsurpassed  and 
unsurpassable    "Taj    Mahal."     For  us  in   Europe, 


192  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Cordova  Mosque  represents  the  re-birth  ;  the 
Recovery  of  Art.  And  therein  it  has  become, 
and  will  ever  remain,  a  priceless  possession, 
"  Krjj/xa  6c  au,"  for  all  Europe.  Not  to  be 
regarded  as  a  mere  Mosque  amongst  other 
mosques,  but  a  true  and  original  Art- Idea. 
And  when  afterwards  we  behold  the  loveliness 
of  Saracenic  Art,  either  at  Granada,  or  Seville,  or 
in  Cairo,  or  Damascus,  or  in  India,  this  Mosque 
ought  not  to  be,  and  cannot  be  cited  as  some- 
thing, more  or  less  great,  or  attractive,  than  others 
there,  or  elsewhere.  There  should  not  be  any 
question  of  comparison.  This  Mosque  is  absolutely 
a  thing  apart.  A  creation,  unique  and  dwelling 
apart  like  a  star,  apart  from  all  other  stars.  It 
was  a  great  light  that  dispelled  the  age-long  chaotic 
gloom  of  that  epoch  which  we  call  "dark."  By 
whomsoever  a  sacred  flame  has  been  once  more 
rekindled,  and  by  whomsoever  Art  has  been 
rescued  and  has  been  set  once  more  upon  her 
throne,  a  great,  an  immortal  service  has  been 
rendered  to  Mankind.  And  therefore  let  us 
glorify  and  render  all  thanks  to  the  Saracens 
who  reared  on  high  this  Pharos  of  Art  for 
Europe.1 

Cordova    is   certainly    the   most   ancient-looking 
City   now    to    be   seen    upon    the    globe,    and    its 

1  Of  all  places  in  the  world,  the  Renaissance  of  Art  was  to 
burst  forth  at  Cordova,  and  of  all  Races  in  the  world  it  was 
to  be  Mohammedans  to  effect  it.  Here,  really  came  into  being 
the  Revival  of  Art  in  Europe,  a  "  Renascimento "  worked  out 
and  developed  neither  by  Italians,  nor  Spaniards,  but  by  Arabs. 


CORDOVA— THE   MOSQUE  193 

famous  Bridge  of  sixteen  Arches  over  the  Guadal- 
quivir is  the  most  picturesque  one  in  Europe.  It 
even  possesses  a  hoarier  antiquity  than  the  Mosque 
itself.  For  the  foundations  are  Roman  and  the 
arches  Moorish,  dating  from  the  earlier  years  of 
the  8th  Century.  Standing  at  the  Southern  end, 
nothing  can  exceed  the  melancholy,  indescribably 
ancient  appearance  of  the  grey  old  walled  City, 
and  of  the  Bridge  itself.  The  noble  Guadalquivir 
majestically  sweeping  through  these  sixteen  grey 
Arches,  curving  round  about  the  battlemented 
walls,  and  ruinous  Convent  enclosures,  and  neglected 
gardens  of  tangled  palms  and  olive-yards  and  for- 
gotten Hospedenas,  and  Huertas,  as  though  it  were 
seeking  to  stir  them  all  into  life  once  more !  So 
few  inhabitants  about !  And  those  few  tending 
their  pigs  and  goats  upon  the  river  banks,  with 
great  solicitude,  lest  they  should  be  swept  away 
in  the  tumultuous  leapings  of  the  grey  river. 
I  seemed  to  be  in  India  again.  Look  over  the 
Bridge  at  the  Moorish  Mills  in  the  centre  of  the 
river.  From  this  standpoint,  too,  the  best  view 
of  the  exterior  of  the  Mosque  is  obtained.  You 
realise  here  the  massive  fortress  character  of  the 
Moorish  architecture.  And  at  the  Northern  (the 
City-side)  entrance  to  the  Bridge  a  Gothic  Gate- 
way of  crumbling  stone,  and  a  Saint  upon  a 
column  ;  and  upon  the  Southern  side  a  grand 
octagonal  tower  of  the  15th  Century, — very 
Moorish  in  style, — all  these,  as  it  were,  for 
Cordova  to  put  in  a  claim  to  a  Mediaeval  character. 
For  modern  life  and  its  exigencies,  you  must  return 

13 


194  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

to  that  portion  of  the  City  which  lies  towards  the 
Railway  Station.  There  you  will  find  a  wholly 
modern  Boulevard,  and  Plazas  entirely  given  up  to 
drinking  and  feasting  and  cafes,  and  the  festive 
thrumming  of  guitars.  For  even  at  Cordova,  the 
most  cafe-loving  populace  in  the  world  cannot  get 
on  without  most  spacious  and  luxurious  haunts  of 
that  kind.  But  along  the  banks  of  the  Guadal- 
quivir which  washes  the  walls  and  banks  of  this 
venerable  City,  no  longer  is  to  be  heard  the  tinkle 
of  the  viol  or  the  lute,  or  the  chime  of  bells  (except 
those  of  the  Cathedral).  And  the  veiled  fair-one, 
ensconced  in  her  lattice  window,  and  in  the  bays 
of  the  old  Moorish  houses  is  wooed  no  more,  and 
sits  unbesought  by  throbbing  guitarra  of  dusky 
Abdullah  or  Hosein. 


CHAPTER  X 


SEVILLE 

Anticipations  of  Seville — Still  de  jure  Capital — Reminiscences 
and  associations — Don  Juan's  house — Donas  Annas  and 
Elviras — Figaro — Mozart's  and  Rossini's  operas — Byron's 
"  Childe  Harold  "—Borrow—"  Masher  "  or  "  Majar  "— 
Commercial  position  of  Seville — Spanish  neglect  of  Navigable 
Rivers — Approach  to  Seville  from  Cordova,  "  yellow  and 
arid  " — First  sight  of  Seville  disappointing — Dissimilarity  to 
Naples — Modern  appearance  generally — Great  extent  of 
Cathedral — Meets  you  at  all  points — Dominates  City — 
Exterior  less  impressive  than  Interior — Height  and  width 
of  Nave — Painted  Glass — Trophies  of  Art — Former  Mosque, 
much  later  than  that  of  Cordova — Hunting-up  traces  of 
Moorish  Art — The  Giralda  Tower,  the  "  Muezzin,"  what 
Giotto's  Campanile  is  to  the  Duomo  of  Florence — History 
of  the  Giralda — Threat  of  the  Moors — Counter-threat  of  St. 
Ferdinand,  or  his  son — Saints  Justa  and  Rufina  withstand 
the  buffeting  of  Satan's  winds — Heat  of  Seville  in  June — 
Unwilling  ascent  of  the  Giralda — Interview  with  Custode — 
Inadequacy  of  Castillan  language  here — Sudden  linguistic 
legerdemain — "  Giralda  might  have  proved  to  be  a  Tower  of 
Babel" — Views  from  the  summit — Guadalquivir,  Italica, 
S.  Lucar — Towers  and  Turrets — The  Alcazar — Relics  of 
old  Walls — Lonja — Archbishop's  Palace — Bull-ring — The 
Seville  Trastevere — Reflections  upon  the  Siege  of  fourteen 
months — View  of  the  Court  of  Oranges — Well — The 
Moorish  Puerta  del  Perdon — Ancient  bronze  doors  thereof. 

195 


196  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

QUITE  regardless  of  the  seat  of  Government, 
of  the  de  facto  rights  of  Madrid,  as  the  capital 
of  Spain,  Europe  generally  has  taken  Seville 
to  its  bosom  and  crowned  her  as  Queen  of  Spain. 
She  represents  the  Capital  to  the  artistic  sense  of 
the  world — to  poets,  painters,  authors,  and  to  the 
host  innumerable  of  travellers  and  tourists.  And 
Seville  has  even  prescriptive  and  antecedent  rights  : 
for  she  was  the  Capital  from  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar  down  to  that  of  Charles  V.  But  it  is  not 
her  historical  records  that  chiefly  stimulate  the 
imagination  of  the  traveller,  although  even  Colum- 
bus be  one  of  her  golden  memories.  It  is  rather 
of  her  romantic  associations,  her  legends,  and  even 
of  the  picturesqueness  of  her  every-day  life  that 
we  are  thinking  as  we  near  Seville. 

We  know  something  already  of  the  glories  of 
her  famous  Cathedral  and  of  her  even  more  famous 
Giralda  Campanile  :  of  celebrated  buildings  of  many 
and  varied  epochs  :  of  Roman  and  Moorish  relics 
and  remains,  and  of  all  those  sights  and  subjects 
which  the  tourist  chiefly  goes  forth  to  behold.  Yet 
there  are  associations  with  Seville  earlier  than  these. 

The  mind  travels  back  to  the  days  of  our  child- 
hood, when  we  first  heard  of  bull-fights,  and 
matadors,  of  gitanos,  and  of  zingarellas  clattering 
their  castanets,  of  their  ditties  and  dances  :  of 
serenades,  of  the  tinklings  of  lute  and  harp,  and 
of  throbbing-  auitarras. 

And  was  it  not  in  Seville,  too,  that  Don  Giovanni 
and  Leporello  used  to  thrum  upon  the  too  susceptible 


s 


SEVILLE  197 

hearts  of  love-lorn  Donas,  just  as  they  twanged 
upon  the  throbbing  strings  of  their  guitars?  We 
are  instinctively  looking  out  for  Donas  Annas, 
and  Elviras,  and  Zerlinas,  flitting  through  those 
Cloisters,  for  Don  Giovanni  was  born  in  a  house 
which  has  been  turned  into  a  Convent. 

A  metamorphosis  indeed !  And  did  not  the 
most  historical  Barber  ever  heard  of,  here  play 
his  pranks,   Figaro  of  Seville  ? 

And  so  long  as  Mozart's  and  Rossini's  music 
endure,  are  not  their  creations  as  much  assured 
of  immortality  as  Julius  Caesar  himself?  And  we 
shall  think,  too,  of  the  first  canto  of  "  Childe 
Harold,"  in  which  some,  (unfortunately  too  few) 
of  Byron's  loveliest  verses,  are  in  praise  of  Seville 
and  Seville's  fair  Zitellas.  Yet,  Byron  was  more 
in  love  with  Cadiz  than  with  Seville.  That,  too, 
was  strange,  for  some  of  Seville's  ladies  were  very 
affectionately  disposed  towards  the  English  poet. 

One  wishes  much  that  Byron  had  dilated  more 
upon  Seville,  and  had  dedicated  more  of  his 
"  Childe  Harold "  to  her  salient  features.  For 
there  are  few  exhaustive  English  works  upon  the 
attractive  theme  either  in  prose  or  poetry.  Borrow, 
that  great  writer,  should  have  given  us  more,  for  he 
had  great  opportunities. 

That  Seville  is  the  great  centre  of  the  Tobacco- 
trade  will  not  be  the  least  of  attractions  to  some  of 
us,  perhaps.  We  used  some  years  ago  to  hear  in 
England  of  what  were  called  "Mashers."  I  know  not 
if  the  class  be  still  existent,  or  even,  if  as  a  "class," 
it  ever  did  exist.     The  term  at  least  was  prevalent. 


198  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

And  so  it  is  not  without  interest  to  learn  that  it  had 
its  origin  from  the  Andalucian  word  "  Majo,"  derived 
from  the  Moorish  "  Majar,"  the  beau, — the  dandy  : 
the  arch-type  of  an  influential  and  ornamental  section 
of  that  superb  insouciance  which  distinguishes  the 
bearing  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  famous  town. 

We  have  to  thank  the  Moors,  then,  for  one  more 
word,  of  the  many  that  are  current  in  our  languages 
in  the  present  day.  And  yet  we  could  without  a 
pang,  even  gratefully,  make  them  a  present  of  such 
descendants  of  their  "  Majars "  as  may  still  be 
lingering  amongst  us.  We  are  told  that  Seville 
is  increasing  in  commerce  and  trade,  although  her 
growing  population  is  still  very  greatly  outnumbered 
by  Madrid. 

With  such  a  fine  navigable  river  as  the  Guadal- 
quivir, she  should  be  now,  whilst  the  commercial 
spirit  is  everywhere  paramount,  (even  in  Spain,) 
"  taking  that  flood  of  the  tide  which  leads  on  to 
fortune." 

For,  so  many  of  the  Cities  in  Spain  fail  to  realise 
their  advantages  of  situation.  Grand  rivers  have 
been  given  them  by  Providence,  and  some  evil 
genius  has  stepped  in  to  forbid  them  making  use 
of  them. 

After  the  verdure  and  verdancy  of  the  groves 
round  about  Cordova,  the  country  to  Seville 
reverts  to  the  general  Spanish  type.  Yellow 
table-lands  and  hills  of  modest  elevation,  sparse 
inhabitants,  little  cultivation,  a  yellow  glare,  rather, 
of  non-cultivation.  The  first  sight  of  Seville  is 
disappointing.     A  monotonous  level  of  two-storied 


SEVILLE  199 

stuccoed  houses,  and  an  uninteresting  modernness 
of  appearance  throughout  the  streets.  I  had  not 
prepared  my  mind  by  the  perusal  of  guide-books, 
purposely,  for  with  all  respect  to  the  talented  writers 
of  such  works,  I  feared  their  too  common  invitation 
to  regard  all  geese  as  swans. 

I  cannot  exactly  say  what  it  was,  that  I  expected 
to  see  upon  arrival  in  this  famous  City.  But  I 
imagined  that  I  should  behold  something  in  the 
streets  of  the  irregularity  of  Naples,  architecturally, 
and  socially  also.  I  thought  to  see  plazas  full  of 
rollicking  Southern  life  ;  Churrigueresque  columns, 
surmounted  by  Saints  Simeon  Stylites-wise  ; 
heavily  ornamented  arches  gaudily  decorated  in 
the  proverbially  Spanish  "bad  taste."  Later  on 
I  came  to  know,  upon  exploration  of  houses  and 
streets,  that  Seville,  though  by  no  means  a  pic- 
turesque City  generally,  has  attractions  and 
characteristics  of  her  own,  albeit  afflicted  with 
more  modernity  than  I  could  have  wished. 
Wherever  you  pitch  your  tent,  or  rather,  what- 
ever Hotel  you  may  pitch  upon,  you  can  scarcely 
direct  your  footsteps,  or  those  of  your  horse,  with- 
out coming  in  touch  with  the  Cathedral.  That 
Colossus  seems  to  monopolise  the  City,  and  so 
stretches  himself  in  all  directions,  that  you  cannot 
avoid,  and  you  certainly  do  not  wish  it  otherwise, — 
the  building  sinking  into  the  recesses  of  your  archi- 
tectural moral  consciousness,  and  so  becoming  for 
ever  one  of  your  most  cherished  art-acquaintances. 
If  outwardly  it  does  not  possess  the  serene  beauty, 
the  fervent    Gothic  character  of  York  or   Canter- 


200  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

bury  or  Lincoln,  it  has  picturesque,  though  irregular 
beauties  all  its  own.  The  abrupt  transitions  from 
one  style  to  another,  which  are  apparent,  are,  of 
course,  owing  to  the  changes  of  Church-architecture 
during  the  many  years  occupied  by  its  erection. 
Internally  the  great  fabric  is  probably  the  vastest 
and  most  impressive  now  to  be  seen.  The  height 
of  the  nave  is  about  the  same  as  the  naves  of  Milan 
and  Florence,  whilst  the  width  of  the  aisles  far 
exceeds  either,  as  it  does  those  of  Toledo  by  some 
50  feet.  The  painted  glass  of  the  windows  (ninety- 
three  in  number)  is  most  beautiful,  and  many  of  them 
are  dated  as  of  the  16th  Century.  The  artists  were 
Flemings.  When  we  think  of  the  vicissitudes 
which  Spain  has  undergone,  and  of  her  spoliation 
by  foreign  armies,  we  may  well  gasp  with  admiration 
at  such  trophies  of  Art. 

The  "  Mezquita,"  or  Mosque,  which  occupied  the 
site  of  the  Cathedral,  is  said  to  have  been  much  of 
the  same  style,  design,  and  size  as  that  of  the  very 
much  earlier  Cordova  Mosque.  It  was  built  four 
hundred  years  later,  indeed,  by  Abu  Jusuf,  Yakub 
(Abu-Joseph-Jacob),  and  his  son,  of  the  same  name, 
added  the  magnificent  Giralda  Tower,  the  orna- 
ment, glory,  and  dominant  note  of  Moorish  and 
Christian  Seville  alike !  Only  the  forms  (that  of 
an  oblong  square)  and  the  extent  of  the  original 
Mosque  were  preserved  in  the  erection  of  the 
Cathedral. 

The  Mosque,  then,  having  been  improved  out  of 
all  recognition,  we  hunt  after  any  Moorish  traces 
that  remain,   with   all   the  greater    interest.      And 


WmlW, 


i* 


Seville.     The  Giuai.da. 


To  face  p.  201. 


SEVILLE  201 

chiefly,  therefore,  we  admire   and    examine  inside 
and  outside,  the  great  Giralda  Tower,  one  of  the 
greatest  monuments   of   Moorish    ascendancy  that 
has  anywhere  been  left   to   us.      It   is    to    Seville 
what  Giotto's   Campanile  is  to   Florence.     It  was 
the  Mueddin  or  Muezzin  Tower  whence  the  faithful 
were  summoned  to  their  devotions,  and  served,  no 
doubt,  as  a  watch-tower  whence  the  advance  of  an 
enemy  over  the  flat  country  round  about  could  very 
soon  be  descried.     Its  original  height  was  250  feet, 
but  the  Belfry  added   in   1568   by  Fernando  Ruez 
has  raised  it  by  a  hundred  feet  more.     The  Belfry 
is  graceful  and  pretty.     The  Pinnacle  is  crowned 
with  a  bronze  female  figure  of  La  Fe — generally 
known  as    "El    Giradillo,"    "La    Giralda" — the 
"  Turning  One."     For    it  is   a  Vane,  and  though 
weighing   several  hundredweight,   turns    upon    the 
slightest  provocation  of  the  breeze.     The  work  has 
been  artistically  done,  and  is  not  incongruous  with 
the  Moorish  architecture  below.     The  Moors  were 
so  proud  of  their  beautiful  Tower  that  they  desired 
to  destroy  it  before  they  yielded  the  City  to  the 
Spanish  conquerors.     But  as  St.  Ferdinand,  or  his 
son,  Alonzo  El  Sabio,  threatened  to  do  the  same  to 
the  City,  should  the  Moors  persist,  the  tower  was 
spared,  for  the  delight  and  admiration  of  successive 
generations.     The    Giralda    is    under    the   especial 
protection  of  the  Saints  Justa  and  Rufina  who  are 
very  dear  to  the  inhabitants  of  Seville.     These  holy 
ladies  are  invariably  represented    in    pictures   and 
sculptures  as  engaged  in  supporting  the  Tower.      In 
the  1 6th  Century  the  Devil  is  reported  as  having 


202  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

summoned  forth  the  winds  at  their  highest  to  blow 
away  the  whole  fabric,  but  the  Saints  in  question 
scared  him  and  his  blasts  away. 

Than  Seville  in  June  there  is  probably  no  hotter 
place  in  the  world,  unless  it  be  Seville  in  August, 
and  I  know  what  heat  is  at  Jubbulpore  and  Aden 
as  well  as  at  Tanjore  and  Travancore.      I  had  not, 
therefore,  contemplated  an  ascent  of  the  Giralda  at 
any  hour  a.m.    on   June   5,    1901.      I   had  gone  to 
the  Cathedral  for  its  mighty  and  reposeful  shade. 
And  certainly  when   I  asked  one  of  the  numerous 
employes  there,  to  show  me  the  Capilla  Capitolar, 
I  had  not  the  remotest  idea  that  in  his  view  of  the 
sphere    of    operations,    it    was    becoming    that    an 
ascent  of  the   Giralda  should  be  included  therein. 
I    spoke    (being   fresh    from    Madrid)   in    my  best 
Castillana,   such  as   it  might  be,  a  language  quite 
inadequate  in  Andalucia,  but  he  was  good  enough 
not  to  make  the  uncharitable  remark  that  he  did  not 
understand  English.     I   remembered  suddenly,   as 
we  were  climbing  the  great  broad  (not  too  steep) 
ascent  within  the  magnificent  Tower,  that  at  any 
cost  I  must  adapt  myself  to  the  Andalucian  dialect. 
By  some  sudden  mental  legerdemain  I  transformed 
my   Castillan    "  ths "    into    "cs,"    I   dispensed  with 
"ds"  (that  was  a  great  stroke)   and  hurled  away 
my  "J-hs"  (for  that  is  too   Delia  Cruscan  for  an 
Andalucian    breath)    for     something     like    "  kh." 
Before  we  had  accomplished  the   gradual    ascent, 
we    had   a   fairly  good    understanding  of   Spanish 
"  as    she    is  spoke "    in  Andalucia,  and  were  con- 
versing like  two  noble  hidalgos   whose  friendship 


SEVILLE  203 

was  of  ancient  date.  It  might  have  been  so 
different.  The  Tower  promised  to  be  that  of  the 
Confusion  of  Tongues !  I  hope  that  I  did  not 
appear  to  him  to  take  too  much  upon  myself,  when 
I  called  upon  him  for  the  sea  and  for  San  Lucar 
harbour,  some  forty  miles  distant,  whence  Columbus 
sailed  upon  his  first  voyage.  I  think  that  he  was 
impressed  by  my  knowledge  of  Andalucian  geo- 
graphy, as  well  as  of  the  Andalucian  tongue.  But 
he  observed  coldly  that  San  Lucar  could  not  be 
seen,  because  like  the  memorably-invisible  Spanish 
Fleet  in  the  "  Critic,"  it  was  not  in  sight.  But 
there  is  a  very  extensive,  if  not  a  very  beautiful, 
view  of  the  country  for  miles  round  Seville,  sandy, 
flat,  yellow.  But  the  gleaming  Guadalquivir  lights 
up  the  country  to  the  south  and  west,  and  beyond 
the  river,  (probably  through  clouds  of  dust)  about 
ten  miles  off,  you  descry  the  site  of  the  old 
vanished  Roman  City  of  Italica.  The  City  of 
Seville  occupies  so  large  a  space  that  from  this 
Tower  at  least,  it  seems  immense.  And  yet  the 
population  is,  I  believe,  not  more  than  130,000  or 
140,000.  From  here,  too,  the  City  has  much 
more  of  an  Eastern  appearance.  The  Towers  and 
turrets,  which  are  very  numerous,  are  many  of  them 
Moorish,  and  if  you  cast  your  glance  at  the  Alcazar, 
close  beneath  you,  and  the  lovely  gardens  thereof, 
and  the  small  portion  of  the  old  walls  that  yet 
remain,  you  will  have  less  of  the  uncomfortably 
modern  feelings  which  have  hitherto  oppressed 
you.  Between  you  and  the  Alcazar  is  the  fine 
"  Lonja"  (the  Exchange),  a  work  of  Herrera,  and 


204  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

to  the  west  of  that  is  the  Churrigueresque  "  Arch- 
bishop's Palace."  Further  southwards  an  immense 
Convent-looking  fabric,  with  great  courts,  will 
catch  your  eye.  It  is  the  celebrated  Tobacco- 
factory  ;  it  would  be  an  ideal  Barrack  for  half  a 
dozen  regiments.  Further  to  the  west,  San  Juan 
de  la  Palma,  an  old  Moorish  Mosque,  will  be 
pointed  out  to  you.  Beyond  again  is  San  Marcos, 
also  formerly  a  Mosque  ;  its  tall  Tower  is  one  of 
the  highest  in  Seville.  To  the  south-east,  near  the 
River,  a  large  Amphitheatre  will  catch  your  eye. 
Your  first  hope  is  that  it  may  be  Roman,  but  it  is 
only  the  inevitable  Bull-fighting  Ring.  Beyond 
the  River  over  the  Bridge  there  is  the  "  Triana  " 
District, — the  Seville  "  Trastevere."  The  proud 
inhabitants  of  the  Roman  Quarter  would  not  thank 
you  for  the  comparison,  for  they  pique  themselves 
greatly  upon  their  alleged  pure  Roman  blood.  And 
"  Triana  "  is  anything  but  a  fashionable  quarter  of 
hidalgos.  If  we  may  judge  by  appearances,  the 
population  there  is  of  a  very  mongrel  character. 
Gipsies,  smugglers  and  others  of  that  large  class 
who  are  supposed  to  live  very  much  by  the  exercise 
of  their  wits,  are  a  preponderating  class.  The 
name  Triana  is  derived  from  the  Emperor  Trajan, 
who  was  born  in  this  district.  So  Triana  has  eone 
terribly  down  hill  since  the  days  of  the  great 
Emperor.  One  can  well  imagine  how  all  the 
interests,  hopes  and  fears  of  Moorish  Seville  came 
to  be  concentrated  upon  the  summit  of  this  Tower, 
especially  after  the  Fall  of  Cordova.  For,  twelve 
years  were   to  elapse   before   Ferdinand  the  Saint 


SEVILLE  205 

could  follow  up  his  success  in  capturing  the  more 
Northern  City.  The  movements  of  the  enemy  in  a 
flat  country  could  so  easily  be  discerned  from  here. 
Attacks  could  easily  be  warded  off,  reinforcements 
at  threatened  points  could  be  despatched  at  a 
moment's  notice.  An  enemy  could  be  held  at  bay 
indefinitely,  so  long  as  unity  prevailed  within  the 
walls,  and  rival  leaders  could  devote  themselves  to 
the  one  overmastering  object  of  defeating  the 
Christians.  Had  the  Moors  been  what  they  once 
were,  and  had  not  been  torn  by  dissensions 
amongst  themselves,  they  could  have  held  out  for 
years.  As  it  was,  the  siege  lasted  for  fourteen 
months. 

Look  down  into  the  fine  Patio  "  de  los  Naranjas," 
for  Seville  has  also  her  Court  of  Oranges.  Not  as 
beautiful,  nor  as  unchanged  as  that  of  Cordova,  but 
still  venerable  and  picturesque  and  with  the  Moorish 
Khalifs  Well  in  the  centre.  The  Moorish  Puerta 
del  Perdon,  too,  is  very  fine — like  that  of  Cordova — 
and  its  ancient  bronze  doors  are  also  Moorish. 


CHAPTER    XI 


SEVILLE   CATHEDRAL 


The  Cathedral-aisles  a  thoroughfare,  or  "short-cut,"  for  pedes- 
trians— Thirty-one  Chapels  to  be  seen — Number  of  Janitors 
— Huge  "  Rejas  " — Chief  Monuments — Retablo  of  High 
Altar — Image  of  the  Virgin — Gift  of  St.  Louis — Splendid 
Church  Plate— Murillo's  Pictures— Theft  of  "  St.  Anthony  " 
— Murillo's  "  Guardian  Angel  " — Goya's  Saints  Rufina  and 
Justa — Ford's  Anecdote — Puerta  de  S.  Cristobal — De 
Vergas's  "Gamba"  Picture — Legend  of  S.  Cristobal — 
Moorish  Walls — Roman  Relics — Seville  and  Milan  Cathe- 
drals compared. 

THE  Cathedral  being  so  notably  the  centre  of 
Seville  life,  you  are  not  surprised  to  observe 
that  the  aisles  are  made  a  thoroughfare  or  short-cut 
by  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  the  Seville  populace. 
Women  enter  by  any  one  of  the  numerous  Puertas, 
and  hurry  along  with  babies  or  baskets,  and  men 
with  bags  of  tools  or  even  loads  over  their  shoulders, 
pass  up  or  down  to  their  business  beyond.  It  is 
even  quaintly  attractive.  It  does  not  strike  you  as 
incongruous  or  irreverential,  as  there  is  no  unseemly 
noise  or  bustle.  At  Westminster  or  York  the 
vergers  would  have  hysterics.  Here  it  is  scarcely 
noticed,  the  Cathedral  being  so  vast,  there  is  room 

206 


o 


a 
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CD 

s 


1 

0 


SEVILLE   CATHEDRAL  207 

enough  for  all  comers,  whether  devotion,  sight- 
seeing, or  business  be  their  object.  There  are 
some  thirty-one  Chapels  to  be  seen,  and  if  you 
mean  to  see  them  all,  you  will  have  to  provide 
yourself  with  much  small  change.  For  there  be 
almost  as  many  janitors  as  "  Rejas  "  ("  Rejas  "  are 
the  great  iron  gates  which  are  kept  jealously 
locked,)  surrounding  nearly  every  Chapel.  Janitors 
start  up  around  you  brandishing  their  huge  bunches 
of  formidable-looking  keys,  and  each  of  them 
expects  something  for  his  admission,  and  if  that 
something  does  not  amount  to  what  each  gaoler 
considers  himself  entitled,  you  will  probably  not  hear 
the  last  of  his  grievance  for  some  little  time  to  come. 
These  huge  rejas  of  generally  gilded  iron  give 
rather  a  sombre  effect  to  the  Cathedral.  But 
I  suppose  they  are  necessary,  for  robberies  formerly 
were  frequent;  e.g.,  in  1874  the  "San  Antonio," 
of  Murillo,  in  the  Chapel  of  that  Saint,  was  cut  out 
of  the  picture  and  carried  off  to  New  York,  but  was 
fortunately  recovered.  Although  the  view  of  the 
grand  Nave  is  impeded  by  the  position  of  the  Coro 
in  the  centre,  the  effect  of  the  whole  is  startlingly 
fine.  You  seldom  see  a  Nave  150  feet  high.  The 
first  monument  which  strikes  the  eye,  just  beyond 
the  Grand  Entrance,  or  Puerta  Mayor,  is  that  of 
Fernando  Columbus,  the  son  of  the  great  Chris- 
topher. Many  go  away  from  the  Cathedral  under 
the  impression  that  they  have  seen  the  Tomb  of  the 
greater  man,  ignoring  the  fact  that  the  tired  bones 
of  the  immortal  navigator  at  last  are  at  rest  in  the 
Havanah.     And  now  the  remains  and  the  Island 


208  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

have  passed  into  the  keeping  of  another  Power ! 
Advancing,  the  magnificent  Coro,  with  its  Trascoro, 
and  four  Chapels  clustered  around  it,  will  arouse 
your  attention  and  admiration  for  some  time.  The 
two  immense  organs,  the  sculptures,  the  117  stalls, 
the  rejas,  the  marbles,  the  carvings,  and  finally  the 
Gothic  Retablo  of  the  High  Altar.  The  Retablo 
(in  44  compartments),  containing  groups  of  sculpture, 
painted  and  gilded,  representing  scenes  from  the 
Bible,  was  executed  in  the  15th  and  16th  Centuries. 
Many  of  the  figures  are  of  life  size.  In  the  centre 
of  the  work  is  a  silver  statue  of  "Our  Lady  de 
la  Sede,"  a  work  of  Francisco  Alfaro  in  1596.  No 
retablo  in  Spain  surpasses  this  in  size  and  gorgeous 
tout-ensemble.  Crossing  the  Transept,  the  "Capilla 
Mayor,"  the  Sacristia  of  the  same,  and,  finally,  the 
"  Capilla  Real"  occupy  the  remainder  of  the  Nave. 
In  the  "  Capilla  Real  "centres  the  historical  interest 
of  the  Cathedral.  Here  rests  the  body  of  Ferdinand 
the  Saint  in  a  silver  shrine  made  in  the  iSth 
Century.  His  body,  said  to  be  in  a  remarkable 
state  of  preservation, — he  died  in  1252, — four  years 
after  his  capture  of  Seville — is  exhibited  upon 
certain  great  occasions.  This  Chapel  contains 
several  relics  of  the  famous  Sovereign.  An  ivory 
statuette  of  the  Virgin  of  "Las  Batellas,"  which 
Ferdinand  was  accustomed  to  fasten  to  his  saddle 
during  his  campaigns,  is  placed  upon  the  Altar.  His 
sword,  (one  of  his  numerous  swords,)  is  also  in  this 
Chapel.  Underneath  the  Altar  is  the  original  coffin 
in  which  his  corpse  was  first  placed.  Epitaphs 
upon  his  "  Urna,"  composed  by  his  sons,  in   Latin, 


SEVILLE   CATHEDRAL  209 

Spanish,  Hebrew  and  Arabic,  are  of  interest. 
Behind  the  Reja  are  the  Tombs  of  that  son,  Alonzo 
"  El  Sabio,"  and  of  his  wife,  Queen  Beatrix.  Here 
also  is  buried  the  famous  Maria  de  Padilla,  the 
Mistress  of  Pedro  the  Cruel.  Perhaps  the  most 
interesting  relic  of  former  days  here,  is  the  life-size 
Image  of  the  Virgin  de  los  Reyes,  presented  to 
Ferdinand  by  no  less  a  personage  than  St.  Louis 
himself.  It  is  made  like  a  marble  lay-figure,  the 
hair  is  of  spun  gold,  and  her  shoes  are  like  those 
of  the  13th  Century,  ornamented  with  the  lilies  of 
France  and  the  word  "Amor."  The  Image  is 
seated  upon  a  silver  throne  of  the  13th  Century, 
embossed  with  the  arms  of  Castile  and  Leon.  St. 
Ferdinand  increased  the  value  of  the  figure  by 
presenting  her  with  a  golden  crown.  It  was 
carried  off  by  a  thief  in  1873.  In  the  13th  and 
14th  Centuries,  upon  the  anniversary  of  the  King's 
death,  one  hundred  Moors  used  to  be  sent  by 
the  Moorish  King  of  Granada,  to  stand  round  the 
Catafalque  of  his  Suzerain  with  lighted  torches  in 
their  hands.  That  must  have  been  a  strikingly 
picturesque  spectacle ! 

In  the  Sacristia  Mayor  are  to  be  seen  other 
relics  of  St.  Ferdinand,  e.g.,  a  cup  of  rock-crystal, 
and  the  identical  keys  given  up  to  him  upon  his 
entry  into  Seville ;  there  are  also  some  splendid 
works  of  silver  plate  and  reliquaries ;  a  highly 
sculptured  large  silver  Monstrance  of  the  16th 
Century ;  a  Gothic  cross  and  candlestick  pre- 
sented by  Alonzo  El  Sabio  ;  the  silver  altar  of 
the  Monstrance ;    and    the   famous   Tenebrario,    or 

U 


210  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

bronze  candlestick,  of  huge  size,  used  in  the  Holy- 
Week.  There  is  here  the  famous  picture  of  the 
"  Descent  from  the  Cross,"  by  Pedro  Campana, 
(born  in  Brussels  1503).  It  suffered  much  of 
Soult's  "  braves,"  and  was  damaged  with  no 
apparent  object,  but  that  of  wanton  destruction. 
The  Sacristia  itself  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the 
productions  of  the  Plateresque  style.  But  of 
all  the  Chapels  in  the  Cathedral,  the  Sala  Capi- 
tulas  (Chapter  House)  is  the  most  beautiful.  It 
appears  to  be  Pantheon-like  round,  but  it  is  really 
elliptical.  The  roof  is  elaborately  worked,  and 
corresponds  with  the  pavement  in  design.  Sixteen 
marble  medallions  of  Genoese  work  adorn  the 
walls,  and  the  eight  oval  paintings  are  by  Murillo. 
The  very  fine  Immaculate  Conception,  also  by 
Murillo,  above  the  altar  is  only  second  to  the 
Louvre  picture  of  the  same  subject  by  him,  and 
certainly  the  most  beautiful  Conception  by  Murillo 
in  Spain.  The  Chapel,  indeed,  might  be  named 
the  "  Murillo  Chapel,"  did  not  the  architectural 
beauty  of  the  Chapel  entitle  it  to  the  name  it  bears. 
It  is  indeed  an  architectural  gem,  reminding  you 
much  of  the  celebrated  Chapter  House  or 
Jerusalem  Chapel  at  Westminster.  Murillo  should 
have  been  buried  here,  and  his  ashes  might  then 
have  escaped  the  desecration  that  was  worked  by 
the  French  brigands.  For  by  his  own  desire  he 
was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Cruz,  where 
the  picture  of  the  "Descent  from  the  Cross"  by 
Campana,  above  referred  to,  then  stood.  Murillo 
was    a    passionate    admirer    of    that    picture,   and 


SEVILLE   CATHEDRAL  211 

desired  to  rest  beneath  it.  The  Church  was 
destroyed  by  the  French ;  the  remains  of  the 
immortal  Artist  scattered  to  the  winds,  and  the 
picture,  as  above  observed,  wantonly  mutilated. 
And  of  these  Frenchmen,  is  the  nation  that 
considers  itself  to  be  the  modern  Athens,  and  her 
sons  the  descendants  of  Phidias !  As  we  are 
looking  out  for  Murillos,  do  not  fail  to  see  the 
beautiful  "  Saint  Anthony  of  Padua  "  in  the  Chapel 
of  the  Baptistry.  The  adventure  of  the  Picture 
at  the  hands  of  a  private  thief  has  already  been 
related,  as  also  its  restoration,  in  the  most 
favourable  sense  of  the  term.  By  Zurbaran  there 
is  also  a  good  picture  in  the  same  Chapel.  Another 
of  Murillos  best  and  most  famous  works  is  to  be 
seen  in  the  Chapel  del  Santo  Angel,  the  Chapel, 
i.e.,  upon  the  left  of  the  Puerta  Mayor.  The 
Picture  has  given  its  name  to  the  Chapel,  and  was 
painted,  it  may  be  assumed,  for  the  Chapel.  An 
Angel,  with  outspread  wings,  leads  and  directs 
with  his  hand  a  confiding  boy.  He  points  to 
brighter  worlds,  to  the  cloud  with  a  silver  lining 
above.  The  picture  is  generally  not  to  be  seen 
in  a  good  light.  One  would  wish  it  removed  to 
the  Museum.  But  if  you  have  the  good-fortune 
to  see  it  in  a  favourable  light,  you  will  be  struck 
with  its  grace,  refinement,  and  religious  feeling. 
A  very  different  style  of  picture  is  near,  and  must 
be  looked  at,  firstly  because  the  artist  Goya  who 
died  in  1828  is  enormously  admired  just  now,  and 
secondly  because  it  represents  the  famous  protec- 
tress-saints of  Seville,  viz.,  Saints  Rufina  and  Justa. 


212  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Ford  say's  that  two  ladies  of  not  saint-like  virtue 
sat  to  Goya  for  the  picture.  You  should  make 
your  exit  by  the  Porta  de  la  Lonja  (or  S.  Cris- 
tobal) in  order  to  see  two  famous  pictures,  which 
unvisited,  you  might  be  taxed  with  having  failed 
to  see,  the  principal  "lions"  of  the  Cathedral. 
The  "  Generacion  "  by  Luis  de  Vergas,  commonly 
known  as  the  "  Gamba"  from  the  "leg"  of  Adam. 
The  nickname  requires  explanation.  Had  it  been 
called  the  "  Rib,"  for  instance,  we  should  not  have 
been  puzzled,  as  that  portion  of  Adam  plays  so 
conspicuous  a  part  in  the  "Generacion"  of  the  first 
woman.  It  obtained  the  name  then  of  "Gamba," 
merely  from  the  modest  remark  of  Perez  de  Alesio, 
the  painter  of  the  huge  fresco  of  San  Cristobal 
hard  by.  He  declared  that  the  leg  of  Adam  alone 
was  worth  more  than  the  whole  of  his  own  fresco. 
St.  Christopher  figures  so  often  in  Italian  and 
Spanish  works  that  the  Saint's  legend  may  here 
be  referred  to.  St.  Christopher,  a  giant  in  stature 
and  whose  walking-stick  was  a  palm-tree,  was  on 
one  stormy  day  besought  by  a  child  to  carry  him 
across  a  swollen  river.  When  with  his  burden 
upon  his  shoulders  he  had  reached  the  opposite 
bank,  not  without  strenuous  labour,  he  laid  the 
child  down  and  demanded  whom  he  had  had 
the  honour  of  bearing.  For  although  but  a  child, 
it  had  seemed  to  the  Saint  that  he  had  been  like 
another  Atlas,  carrying  the  weight  of  the  world 
upon  his  shoulders.  The  Child  replied  that  that 
was  true.  That  the  Saint  had  borne  not  only 
the   world  but   the   Creator  of  the  world.     Then 


SEVILLE  CATHEDRAL  213 

St.   Christopher  perceived   that  the  Child  was  the 
Holy  One  of   Israel,   and    he  fell  down  and  wor- 
shipped.    It  is   pleasing  to   be  informed  that  you 
will  not  come  to  an  untimely  end,  on  the  day  your 
eyes  behold  St.  Christopher's  portrait.     You  should 
specially  observe,    upon   the  northern   side  of  the 
Cathedral,  the  large  remains  of  the  Moorish  wall, 
and   also    the    Roman    columns   as    mementoes   of 
the   Roman  rule.     They  had  been  utilised  in  the 
Moorish    Mosque.     It    is  as   regards  the    interior, 
that   Seville   Cathedral    strikes  you  as  vaster  and 
more  solemnly  impressive  than  any  other  of  similar 
style.     Milan  Cathedral  perhaps  reminds  you  more 
than   any    other    of    Seville,    chiefly    because    the 
height  of  either  is  nearly  similar,  and  also,  perhaps, 
because  of  the   gorgeous    painted   windows.     But 
those  of  Seville  are  greater  in  number  and  gene- 
rally superior  in  antiquity.      Seville  Cathedral,  too, 
is  far  greater  in  width  than  Milan  Cathedral,  and 
indeed  than  any  other  Gothic  Church,  and  it  is  that 
which    chiefly   gives    the    impression   of    vastness. 
Seville  Cathedral,   too,   has  not  a  roof  painted  to 
represent  carved    stone,    which    detracts   so    much 
from  the  effect  at  Milan.     The  beautiful  transept 
roof  also   far  surpasses    that   of   Milan   Cathedral. 
This    Cathedral     is     much     larger     than    Toledo 
Cathedral,    and    possesses    a    greater    number    of 
Chapels.     But  the  Tombs  and  monuments  of  the 
latter     are     finer,     more     interesting,     and     more 
numerous.       But    outwardly     Seville     is     grander, 
vaster,    and    more    impressive,    and    its    splendid 
Giralda  Tower  gives  it  a  proud  pre-eminence  not 
to  be  equalled  elsewhere, 


CHAPTER   XII 


FESTIVAL    OF    CORPUS    CHRISTI 

Elaborate  Ceremonial — Bustle  in  the  Cathedral — Wonders  of 
Silver-plate — Troops  of  Processional  Boys — Their  "dressing- 
up  " — Half  the  Population  of  Seville  "  assisting  " — Decora- 
tions— Miles  of  Red  Damask — The  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion 
— Rank  and  Fashion  —  The  oi  polloi  —  Manners  and 
appearance  of  a  Spanish  Crowd — Absence  of  Mantillas — 
Ladies  dressed  in  the  extremest  "mode"  —  Beauty  (or 
otherwise?) — Andalucian  "  eyes "  —  Complexions  —  Lavish 
Powdering  —  Passion  for  whitewash — The  Procession  de- 
bouches— A  stream  of  Functionaries — Splendour  and  colour 
—  Incense  and  chanting — Imbecile  Images  and  Busts — 
Enormous  Silver  Monstrance — Bearers  thereof — Church 
Dignitaries — The  Sacred  Host — Reception  by  the  Crowd — 
Music  insufficient — Courtiers  a  la  Philip  IV — Procession 
defective — Inferior  to  that  of  Orvieto — The  Sight  of  this 
Day — Dance  of  Choristers  in  the  Cathedral — Seville,  a 
Phoenician  Settlement — Sephela,  Ishbiliah,  Seville — "  Muy 
leal  y  noble" — Zenith  under  Pedro  "the  Cruel" — Abandon- 
ment by  Charles  V — Present  aspect — Houses  maintain  a 
Moorish  character — Arrangement,  Pompeiian — Might  be 
cooler  —  Luxuriousness  of  Seville  Cafes — Plazas — Plaza 
Nueva — Absence  of  Gardens  in  the  City — Promenades — 
The  "Delicias" — River-banks  and  Quays — Southern  Flowers 
and  Shrubs — Columbus,  Pizarro,  and  Cortez — The  Torre- 
del'-Oro — Don  Juan's  Residence. 

214 


FESTIVAL   OF  CORPUS   CHRISTI  215 

AT  Seville,  no  less  than  in  Italy,  the  great 
Festival  of  Corpus  Christi  is  celebrated 
with  very  elaborate  ceremonial.  At  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning  of  the  great  day,  the  vast  Cathedral 
presents  a  most  animated  spectacle.  Preparations 
of  the  quaintest  and  most  amusing  character  are 
being  made.  You  go  behind  the  scenes  and  into 
the  green-room,  as  it  were,  to  watch  the  mar- 
shalling of  processions,  the  distribution  of  costumes, 
the  production  of  time-honoured  "properties,"  the 
hoisting-up  of  venerated  relics,  the  ransacking  of 
plate-chests,  and  the  transference  of  sainted  idols 
from  their  shrines  and  altars  on  to  movable 
platforms.  Wonders  of  the  silversmith's  craft 
were  being  carried  down  the  aisles  by  very  much 
unclad  workmen,  to  be  marshalled  in  due  order 
in  the  procession.  Endless  troops  of  boys,  more 
or  less  stubborn  or  unintelligent,  were  being- 
grappled  with  by  priests,  vergers,  and  school- 
masters, and  made  to  hold  in  their  hands  wax 
tapers  as  long  as  fishing-rods  and  of  many  colours 
(red  preferred).  Other  lads  were  being  arrayed 
in  red  stockings,  and  crowned  with  gilt  or  tin 
tiaras.  Affectionate  parents  and  admiring  friends 
were  lending  a  hand  to  assist,  or  to  encourage 
puny  relatives,  upon  whom  so  much  depended 
for  the  successful  development  of  the  pageant. 
Country  people,  porters,  carriers,  messengers,  ladies 
in  mantillas,  and  ladies  without  mantillas — all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  people  were  flocking  together, 
to  see  what  could  be  seen,  to  criticise,  or  to  admire. 


216  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

Half  the  population  of  Seville  seemed  to  be  throng- 
ing the  nave  and  the  aisles  of  the  vast  edifice,  such 
was  the  crowd,  the  bustle,  the  conversation,  the 
excitement.  Meanwhile,  the  streets  outside  were 
bristling  with  expectation.  The  thoroughfares  were 
canopied  and  every  house  in  the  line  which  the 
procession  was  to  follow  was  hung  with  red  damask. 
Red  damask  was  de  rigueur.  There  must  have  been 
miles  of  it.  In  the  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion,  the 
first  Plaza  whereon  the  procession  upon  leaving 
the  Cathedral  was  to  debouch,  all  the  rank  and 
fashion  of  Seville  were  gathered  together.  Rows 
of  chairs  were  already  occupied  by  very  smartly 
dressed  ladies  and  by  officers  and  officials  of  all 
kinds.  The  balconies  and  windows  and  roof  of 
the  fine  Town  Hall  which  fronts  upon  the  Plaza 
de  la  Constitucion,  and  the  Plaza  Nueva,  were 
thronged  with  eager  spectators  of  both  sexes. 
The  ot  polloi  were  content  to  take  up  positions 
on  foot  and  to  watch  the  dlite,  and  to  pass  their 
remarks  upon  them  during  the  considerable  interval 
that  was  to  elapse  before  the  evolution  of  the  pro- 
cession. For  a  foreigner  it  was  an  admirable 
opportunity  for  studying  the  manner,  appearance, 
and  characteristics  of  a  festive  Spanish  crowd. 
Mantillas  amongst  the  upper  classes  seemed  to 
have  entirely  "gone  out."  Many  women  of  the 
lower  middle  class  still  cling  to  them,  but  many 
of  the  lower  classes  are  content  with  sticking  a 
sinorle  flower  in  the  centre  of  their  hair.  Ladies 
dress  here  in  the  extreme  fashion  of  other  capitals, 
especially   as    regards    their    hats,    which    are,    as 


FESTIVAL   OF  CORPUS   CHRISTI         217 

elsewhere,  miniature  flower  shows.  Rather  trying 
to  the  features,  I  think,  in  Seville.  For,  despite 
what  has  been  written,  I  should  not  think  that 
Andalucian  ladies  are  generally  beautiful.  Eyes 
and  hair  go  a  long  way,  however,  and  in  general 
effect  you  may  pronounce  the  Seville  ladies  at- 
tractive-looking. The  men  generally  are  singularly 
plain.  But  the  ladies'  eyes  would  deserve  a 
chapter, — or  even  chapters, — to  do  justice  to  them. 
The  eyes  are  never  still.  They  glide,  they  swim, 
they  dilate,  they  contract,  they  half  close,  they 
languish,  they  curve,  they  sweep  round  the  corners, 
and  preternaturally  recovering  themselves,  they 
drop  upon  yours  with  a  sudden  glow.  They  do 
all  things  that  eyes  and  tongue  and  lips  can  do. 
But  one  thing  they  cannot  do,  and  that  is  to  keep 
still  ;  but  they  never  stare.  That  is  the  character- 
istic of  the  Andalucian  type  of  beauty  if  you  will. 
How  fatigued  must  all  those  eyes  be  at  the  close 
of  day,  and  O !  when  the  lids  are  at  last  permitted 
to  drop  down  upon  them  in  slumber,  what  blessed 
repose ! 

What  the  complexions  may  be  like  it  is  not  only 
extremely  difficult  but  impossible  to  pronounce ! 
Whether  it  comes  from  some  idea  of  keeping 
the  face  cool,  or  from  a  horror  of  appearing 
flushed,  I  know  not,  but  a  custom  of  lavishly 
powdering  not  only  those  portions  of  the  face 
which  fashion  has  deemed  it  permissible  to  correct 
with  such  aid,  but  the  entire  features,  is  so  pre- 
valent. 

We  have  seen  what  a  passion  for  whitewashing 


218 


SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 


fanes  and  temples  possesses  the  Spanish  Race. 
Can  the  idea  that  such  methods  beautify  and 
intensify  have  extended  even  to  the  human  face 
divine  ?     I  know  of  no  other  solution. 

At  length,  after  an  hour  of  patient,  but  not 
uninteresting  expectation,  the  procession  comes 
in  sight.  The  slowly-moving  stream  of  function- 
aries commences  with  Priests,  Canons,  Choristers, 
and  Acolytes  swinging  their  great  incense-censers 
of  silver  and  brass,  bearers  of  crucifixes,  and 
images,  Franciscan  Monks,  with  their  bare  feet 
and  coarse  brown  frocks,  striking  the  only  grave 
note  in  their  unadorned  habiliments,  amongst  such 
a  blaze  of  colour  and  splendour.  Myriads  of  the 
aforesaid  small  boys,  each  with  his  taper,  and 
the  whole  procession  chanting  and  intoning  hymns. 
Imbecile  busts  of  venerated  saints,  gilded  and 
coloured,  shedding  stony,  unmeaning  smiles  over 
the  heads  of  the  admiring  populace.  Two  tottering 
sisters,  Saints  Rufina  and  Justa,  with  marionette- 
fixed  grins,  pretending  to  support  a  tottering 
Giralda,  at  a  greater  height,  survey  the  multi- 
tude, with  exasperating  self-complacency.  And  now 
advance,  borne  with  difficulty,  some  of  the  weightier 
and  more  valuable  treasures  of  the  Cathedral, 
splendid  trophies  of  the  silversmith's  art,  some 
of  them  Reliquaries,  and  Shrines  and  Pyxes,  the 
chief  amongst  them  all,  in  size  and  value,  the 
famous  Silver  Monstrance  and  Altar.  It  is  in  form 
a  Doric  Temple,  and  upon  its  platform  takes 
twenty  men  to  bear  it  along.  One  pitied  the 
sweltering     bearers    beneath    the    drapery    which 


FESTIVAL  OF  CORPUS  CHRISTI         219 

concealed  them,  and  kept  such  air  as  there  was 
to  breathe  excluded  from  them.  Then  comes  with 
banners  and  flags,  and  escorted  by  a  crowd  of 
Monsismori  and  other  Church  dignitaries,  the  Sacred 
Host,  and  then  the  Archbishop  and  his  Satellites 
beneath  a  canopy.  Most  knelt,  all  uncovered,  and 
crossed  themselves,  the  while  the  Archbishop  dis- 
pensed his  blessings  upon  either  side,  with  his  two 
raised  fingers.  Bands  of  music,  and  an  immense 
number  of  officers,  military  and  civil,  accompanied 
the  Procession.  But  the  quaintest  part  of  it  was 
a  crowd  of  courtiers,  in  the  old  Spanish  Court- 
costume  of  sad  colours,  with  hatless  heads  clothed 
with  flaxen  wigs.  These,  both  in  colour  and 
shape,  modelled  upon  the  coiffure  peculiar  to 
Philip  IV  such  as  we  know  in  his  pictures. 

But  of  music  there  was  not  sufficient,  though  the 
artillery  and  cavalry,  who  had  been  occupying  the 
Plaza  throughout,  had  done  what  they  could  in 
that  way  to  enliven  the  long  "wait."  The  pro- 
cession was  also  too  broken,  and  halts  were  con- 
tinually being  made  to  enable  lagging  porters  to 
come  up.  There  was  an  absence,  too,  of  different 
"  orders "  of  monks  and  friars.  Of  nuns,  too, 
there  were  none.  In  Italy  processions  are  in 
those  respects  much  more  diversified.  At  Orvieto, 
e.g.,  the  fountain-head  of  this  great  ceremony,  the 
procession  upon  this  day  is  far  more  striking. 
Even  at  little  Capri  I  have  seen  more  colour 
and  variety.  But  the  sight,  upon  this  day  of 
"Corpus  Christi"  is  the  dance  of  choristers  in 
the  Cathedral.     It  is  only  to-day,  at  Christmas  and 


220  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

during  Holy  Week,  that  this  quite  unique  spectacle 
can  be  seen.  A  dozen  boy-choristers,  attired  as 
Court-pages,  in  slashed  scarlet  and  gold  coats,  in 
white  stocking's  and  three-cornered  plumed  hats, 
dance  in  front  of  the  Coro.  They  oscillate  and 
gyrate  in  a  kind  of  "  Tempete "  in  minuet  time, 
singing  and  playing  castanets,  whilst  an  orchestra 
assists  their  movements  with  a  larger  volume  of 
melody.  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  similar 
ceremony  to  be  seen  elsewhere.  What  may  be 
the  origin  of  it  I  do  not  know.  But  it  is  quaint, 
picturesque,   and  original  in  the  highest  degree. 

That  Seville  was  the  site  of  a  Phoenician 
settlement  seems  proved  by  the  Phoenician  name 
of  Sephela.  The  Moors  scarcely  transformed 
the  name  by  calling  it  in  their  tongue  Ishbiliah. 
The  change  is  very  slight  to  the  Spanish  "  Sevilla." 
Under  the  Spanish  rule  it  was  dignified  as  a  City 
"  muy  leal  y  noble."  "Leal"  it  certainly  was 
not  under  the  Moors.  For  during  their  sway 
of  536  years,  changes  of  government  under  rival 
sheiks  were  frequent.  And  it  was  mainly  owing  to 
their  dissensions,  that  St.  Ferdinand  found  the 
capture  of  the  City  a  comparatively  easy  task. 
Under  Pedro  the  Cruel,  the  contemporary  and  ally 
of  our  Black  Prince,  Seville,  his  "  Ciudad  pre- 
dilecto,"  reached  its  high  point  of  prosperity  ; 
Charles  V  rather  strangely  preferred  Valladolid 
as  a  Capital.  Most  of  the  broad  and  deep,  but 
low,  houses  of  Seville  still  maintain  a  Moorish 
character.  The  windows  are  protected  by  "  rejas," 
iron   gratings,    and    shaded  by  awnings ;  balconies 


FESTIVAL  OF  CORPUS  CHRISTI         221 

are  universal.  An  entrance-porch, — "  Zaguan," — 
leads  to  the  "Cancel"  or  Gate  of  fine  iron-work, 
which  opens  upon  the  "Patio"  or  Courtyard. 
This  "Patio"  is  the  characteristic  of  all  the 
houses.  It  serves  as  the  principal  drawing-room, 
and  is  at  once  the  reception-room,  the  garden  and 
the  resort  of  the  family.  It  is  surrounded  with 
columned  arcades,  often  beautifully  decorated  with 
"  Azulejos "  (Moorish  tile-work)  and  sometimes 
frescoed.  A  fountain  in  the  centre  with  flowers, 
trees,  and  shrubs,  and  a  heavy  awning  above, 
completes  the  style. 

The  "  Patio,"  then,  is  not  unlike  a  Pompeiian 
house  and  combines  the  atrium,  the  Impluvium, 
and  the  Peristyle.  But  although  the  heat  can 
be  sensibly  reduced  by  these  arrangements,  the 
Sevillans  miodit  well  borrow  some  of  the  Indian 
customs  for  the  further  reduction  of  the  tempera- 
ture. Punkahs,  thermantidotes,  and  wetted  tatties 
of  cus-cus  grass,  might  well  be  introduced  in  a 
climate  almost  as  sultry  as  India.  Far  the  coolest 
resorts  in  Seville  are  the  great  Cafes,  and  Restau- 
rants, e.g.,  in  the  Calle  de  la  Sierpe.  The  Cafes 
in  this  Calle  especially  are  magnificent, — really 
palaces.  The  wide  and  well-paved  Calle*  is  cano- 
pied above,  and  reserved  for  pedestrians  ;  noise 
and  dust  are  excluded  from  these  Calles  by 
wheeled  traffic  being  banished.  Most  of  the  Cafes 
are  of  quite  Moorish  architecture,  becolumned  and 
arcaded,  and  so  are  many  of  the  shops  in  these 
cool  Calles.  No  wonder,  with  such  palaces  for 
Cafes,  that  the  Spaniards  are,  in  Seville  at  least, 


222 


SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 


the  most  Cafe-loving  race  in  Europe.     No  wonder, 
too,  that  they  are  of  all  nations  the  most  loth  to 
put  themselves  under  the  yoke    of   Cook,   to   put 
a  girdle  round  the  world  in   eighty  days.     Where 
could  they  find  elsewhere  such  luxury  and  comfort  ? 
How  they  would  sigh  over  their  delightful  resorts, 
were  they  to  find  themselves  in  the  Boulevards  of 
Paris,   or  in  the   Regent  Street  of  London.     The 
monotonous   exterior   of  the   streets,   of  low   two- 
storied  houses,  is  broken  by  the  number  of  Plazas, 
small    for   the    most   part,    but   generally   boasting 
some  highly  decorated   church,  or  public  building, 
and  enlivened   by   trees   and  seats,    and  the  stalls 
of  vendors    of  cooling   drinks.     Ouite   the  largest 
Plaza    in    Seville    is    the    Plaza    Nueva   or    Ayun- 
tamento,    which    is   the   site   of  the   very   beautiful 
"Casas  Capitolares,"  or  Town   Hall,  and  of  some 
of  the  better  inns.     You  will  generally  be  passing 
through  this  Plaza  on  your  way  to  the  Cathedral, 
and  other   notable  sights.     It  is    the    chief  resort 
for  flaneurs  and  loungers,  and  being  well  furnished 
with  seats,  is  a  good   place  to  watch  the  lower  life 
of    Seville.     But    the    Citv    is    ill-furnished    with 
gardens    and    shade.     You    must   go   outside    the 
town  for  parks  and  gardens,   which   lie  along  the 
left  Bank  of  the  River.     The   "  Delicias,"  as  they 
are    called,    are    the    resort   of  carriage-folk,    and 
equestrians,   and  there   all  the  smartest  equipages 
and    the   best-mounted   caballeros  assemble  in   the 
evening.     It  is  an  animated   scene   at   that  hour, 
and  very  beautiful  in  the  richness  and  abundance 
of  Southern  flowers  and  foliage.     The   River,  too, 


FESTIVAL   OF   CORPUS   CHRISTI         223 

is  a  scene  of  animation.  Broad  Quays  have  been 
laid  out,  and  at  times  steamers  and  shipping  are 
here  in  considerable  numbers.  Although  we  know 
that  Columbus  embarked  here  upon  his  first  voyage 
of  discovery,  I  did  not  know  that  Seville  was  so 
considerable  a  Port.  It  is  said  that  Pizarro  and 
Cortez  also  started  on  their  wonderful  enterprises 
from  Seville. 

The  picturesque  tower,  a  little  higher  up  the 
river,  should  be  looked  at  as  a  relic  of  Moorish 
days.  Although  why  it  should  be  called  "  Torre- 
del'-Oro "  requires  explanation.  Some  say  that 
the  Moors  kept  their  treasure  there,  but  it  seems 
to  be  in  rather  an  exposed  position  for  such  a 
purpose.  I  think  that  the  name  may  have  a  more 
plausible  solution  in  gold  connected  with  the  dis- 
coveries of  Christopher  Columbus.  Whilst  we  are 
upon  the  search  for  great  or  notorious  Sevillans, 
one  of  the  most  famous  names  is  that  of  Don  Juan. 
He  seems  to  be  no  mere  invention  of  poet  or 
romance,  and  even  the  Commendatore  of  whom  Don 
Juan  made  such  short  work  was  a  very  real  flesh- 
and-blood  Sevillan.  Don  Juan's  name  was  Tenorio. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  was  not  a  member  of 
the  family  rendered  famous  by  one  Archbishop  of 
Toledo  at  least.  But  he  certainly  lived  in  a  house 
which  is  now  a  Convent,  that  of  San  Leandro,  and 
he  betook  himself  to  the  family  Chapel  in  a 
Franciscan  Convent,  as  "Sanctuary,"  when  he 
had  disposed  so  summarily  of  the  unfortunate  father 
of  the  injured  Dona  Anna. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE    MUSEO    SEVILLE 

Plaza  de  Murillo — His  Bust — Numerous  Works  of  his  here 
— Four  or  five  Masterpieces — A  disestablished  Convent 
—  Fine  Azulejos,  modern  —  Murillo's  Masterpieces  de- 
scribed —  Zurbaran's  Pictures  —  Roelas  —  Valdez  Leal  — 
Pacheco — "Pretty  rather  than  great" — But  one  Caho 
— Alanis  Vicente — His  powerful  "  Prodigal  Son  " — Portraits 
here  "terribly  bad" — Torrigiano's  Terra-cotta — Anecdotes 
of  Torrigiano  —  The  Patio  here  —  Roman  Antiquities  from 
Italica — "  A  great  Diana  " — Moorish  Vases — The  first  Museo 
in  the  "  Lonja,"  founded  by  Murillo  and  other  artists — "  La 
Caridad"  —  A  16th  Century  Alms-house — Renovated  by 
a  "  reformed  rake  " — The  Chapel — Murillo's  six  Pictures — 
Description  of  them — "  San  Juan  de  Dios,"  the  finest — 
Who  he  was — Pedro  Roldan's  "  Descent  from  the  Cross  " — 
The  Pictures  by  Valdez  Leal — Murillo's  remark — V.  Leal's 
jealousy  of  Murillo — Murillo's  Pictures  journeyed  to  Paris. 

THE  Musdo  is  situated  in  one  of  the  prettiest 
Plazas,  that  of  the  Musdo  or  "  de  Murillo." 
His  bust  stands  in  the  centre.  It  is  a  recent  work, 
but  seems  as  a  portrait  of  the  Painter  to  have  been 
well  and  faithfully  copied  from  his  well-known 
portraits  by  himself.  The  Musdo  is  chiefly  at- 
tractive owing  to  the  numerous  works  of  Murillo, 

224 


THE   MUSEO,   SEVILLE  225 

twenty-four  of  which  are  here.     It  must  be  admitted 
that  there  is  much  of  the   master  that  could  have 
been  spared.     But  still  there   are   four  or  five   of 
his  very  greatest  masterpieces.     The  building  itself 
is  an  old  and  ugly  convent,  that  of  "  La  Merced," 
and  was  founded  by  St.  Ferdinand  himself.     Upon 
entering  you  will  be  greatly  struck  by  the  splendid 
decorations    of   <(Azulejos"    or    "Moorish"    tiling, 
which   adorn    the    walls.     They  are  chiefly,  if  not 
entirely,  of  Spanish  work,  and  most  interesting  as 
proofs  that  the  secrets  of  the  art  did  not  die  with 
the    Moors.     They    form   an    exhibition   of   them- 
selves, and  for  the  most  part  have  been  gathered 
together  from   the  many  disestablished  conventual 
domiciles    in    Seville.     In    the    large    room,    for- 
merly the  Convent-Church,   now  called  the  Salon 
de  Murillo,  all  Murillo's  pictures  are  placed.     "  Si 
monumentum    quceras,     circumspice " !      The    four 
works    of    his,    which    universal    admiration    have 
declared  his  best,  are  the  following  :  "St.  Thomas 
de  Villanueva"  ;  "  St.  Francis  embracing  the  Cruci- 
fied  Saviour";   "San   Felix  Cantalicis,"    with    the 
Infant   in    his   arms;    "San    Antonio   de    Padua," 
kneeling    before    the     Infant.      San     Tomaso    de 
Villanueva    is    succouring  the  poor  and    is   giving 
alms  in  a  Church-porch  to   a  beggar  and  is   sur- 
rounded by  other  expectant  mendicants.      In  senti- 
ment  and  in  execution,  the  picture  recalls  to  you 
the  famous  St.  Elizabeth  at  Madrid.     Both  in  con- 
ception and  execution  the  work  is  one  of  Murillo's 
greatest.     So    he    thought    himself,    and    called    it 
"  Mi  Quadro."     But  the  "  San  Felix,"  next  to  that, 

15 


226  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

runs  it  very  close.  The  Saint  upon  his  knees, 
bears  the  Infant  in  his  arms.  His  face  and  posture 
express  the  utmost  love  and  devotion.  A  celestial 
vision  appears  to  him  from  above.  The  Virgin, 
attended  by  angels  and  cherubs,  stretches  out  her 
arms  to  her  Son.  As  a  composition  this  picture 
may  be  considered  by  some  as  even  superior  to 
the  "  St.  Thomas."  But  the  nobleness  of  the 
countenances  and  the  inspired  sweetness  of  expres- 
sion of  both  are  quite  perfect.  The  accessories,  too, 
of  either  picture,  whether  of  cherubs,  or  angels,  or 
beggars,  are  just  sufficient,  and  do  not  draw  away 
the  attention  from  the  chief  personages  represented. 
That  characteristic  is  always  one  of  Murillo's  great 
qualities,  one  so  often  absent  from  works  of  the 
Spanish  School.  There  is  here  another  picture 
of  "  San  Felix,"  but  much  inferior.  The  "  Vision 
of  St.  Francis "  is  an  extremely  beautiful  work. 
The  Crucified  Saviour  is  withdrawing  His  right 
hand  from  the  beam  of  the  Cross,  and  is  resting 
His  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  Saint,  who  em- 
braces the  body  of  his  crucified  Lord.  Two  cherubs 
upon  the  left  support  an  open  book,  where  you  read 
the  words,  "  Qui  non  renunciat  omnibus  qui  pos- 
sidet,  non  potest  meus  esse  discipulus."  St.  Anthony 
of  Padua, with  his  arms  round  the  Infant  Jesus,  who 
returns  his  embrace,  is  seated  upon  a  book.  Above 
these  are  four  Cherubs.  These  four  pictures  are 
the  glories  of  this  Museum.  The  "  Pieta  "  I  think 
to  be  the  best  of  Murillo's  other  works  here.  The 
very  large  "Immaculate  Conception"  was  painted 
for  the  Cathedral.     It   has   been   much   damaged, 


THE   MUS^O,   SEVILLE  227 

but  it  never  could  have  been  equal  to  other  repre- 
sentations by  Murillo,  of  the  same  subject.  "  The 
Madonna  della  Servilleta,"  too,  has  been  cruelly 
ill-used.  It  is  said  to  have  been  painted  upon  a 
"  napkin."  Hence  its  title.  But  it  is  a  very  inferior 
picture. 

Of  Zurbaran,  one  of  the  chief  lights  of  the  School 
of  Seville,  there  are  numerous  instances  here.  His 
best  work  in  this  Gallery  is  the  "  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas."  It  represents  the  Apotheosis  of  the 
Saint,  and  the  Foundation  of  the  College  of  St. 
Thomas  of  Seville.  It  is  very  large  and  is 
certainly  a  fine  picture.  All  the  colossal  Saints 
and  Fathers  of  the  Church  represented  here  are 
grandly  drawn,  and  the  figures  of  Christ  and  the 
Virgin  above,  nobly  expressed.  It  is  an  interest- 
ing picture  also,  the  artist  having  introduced,  upon 
the  right,  portraits  of  Charles  V  and  himself.  But 
the  picture  altogether  is  wanting  in  poetical  feeling, 
and  St.  Thomas  certainly  lacks  spirituality.  Zur- 
baran was  apt  to  overcrowd  his  larger  pictures.  I 
prefer  him  in  his  smaller  subjects,  and  even  in  his 
single  figures.  But  he  is  undeniably  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  Spaniards.  There  is  no  other  picture 
in  this  Gallery  which  in  any  way  marks  a  distinc- 
tive epoch  in  Spanish  Art.  Many  should  be  looked 
at,  more  perhaps  from  the  painters  having  been 
masters  of  great  artists  than  from  any  merit  of  their 
own.  Roelas,  the  master  of  Zurbaran  has,  how- 
ever, great  powers  of  colouring.  The  same  remark 
may  apply  to  Valdez  Leal,  a  powerful  master,  who 
delighted  in  rather  repulsive  subjects. 


228  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Pacheco,  the  master  and  father-in-law  of  Velas- 
quez, has  a  good  "  Immaculate  Conception," 
pretty  rather  than  great.  Castillo,  the  master  of 
Murillo  and  Caiio,  has  pictures  here,  but  nothing 
remarkable.  It  is  disappointing  that  the  latter 
master,  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  pleasing  of 
Spanish  painters,  has  but  one  picture  in  this 
Gallery.  To  Alanis  Vicente  is  ascribed  a  rude 
and  realistic,  but  certainly  powerful  "  Prodigal 
Son."  Some  of  the  modern  pictures  are  worth 
looking  at,  but  all  the  portraits  are  terribly  bad. 
An  extremely  fine  terra-cotta  of  "  St.  Jerome,"  by 
the  famous  Torrigiano  should  not  be  overlooked. 
The  artist  is  well  known  to  Englishmen,  as  the 
Sculptor  of  the  Henry  VII  Tomb  at  Westminster. 
But  he  has  secured  an  even  more  certain  immor- 
tality by  having  modelled  the  nose  of  Michael 
Angelo  in  a  mode  quite  otherwise  than  natural. 
A  dispute  arose  between  the  two  great  men  at 
Florence,  and  Torrigiano  made  use  of  his  hammer, 
in  a  very  inartistic  spirit,  upon  the  nose  of  the 
divine  artist.  Torrigiano  visited  Spain  once  too 
often  for  his  own  personal  advantage,  for  he  ended 
his  days  there  as  a  prisoner  to  the  Holy  Spanish 
Inquisition.  Not  the  least  attractive  portion  of 
this  Museo  is  the  Patio,  assigned  to  Sculptures  and 
Roman  antiquities  from  Italica  chiefly,  and  also  to 
Moorish  capitals,  tiles  and  vases.  First  and  fore- 
most among  the  Roman  Antiquities,  is  a  really 
great  work,  a  statue  of  Diana.  It  is  one  of  the 
finest  representations  of  the  Huntress-Goddess  that 
I  have  anywhere  seen,  and  would  do  honour  to  any 


THE  MUSEO,  SEVILLE  229 

Gallery.  Excepting  the  loss  of  portions  of  both 
arms,  it  is  perfect ;  the  head  is  very  beautiful. 
The  countenance  serious.  The  position  is  easy 
and  graceful,  and  the  drapery  very  boldly  worked. 
Behind  the  Goddess  is  the  trunk  of  a  tree  with  a 
deer-skin.  It  is,  I  should  think,  a  Roman  copy  of 
a  Greek  original.  There  are  here  also  several 
torsos  of  statues,  one  colossal,  (without  a  head,) 
and  a  great  many  busts,  one  of  which  is  Hadrian. 
Mosaic  pavements,  columns,  Cippi  pottery  and 
statuettes  in  considerable  numbers,  all  from  Italica, 
are  here  to  attest  to  the  importance  of  that  City. 
Some  of  the  Moorish  vases  deserve  to  be  looked 
at,  especially  a  large  green  one,  with  rows  of  ribs 
in  relief.  This  Museum  and  Gallery  have  only 
been  in  existence  during  recent  years,  but  it  may 
be  noted  that  Murillo,  Valdez  Leal,  Herrera,  and 
other  artistic  notabilities  founded  an  Academy  of 
Art  in  the  year  1660,  and  established  it  in  that 
fine  building  of  Juan  Herrera,  the  Lonja  or 
Exchange. 

The  spirit  of  Murillo  dominates  so  many  of  the 
buildings  in  Seville.  He  rules  our  spirits  from  his 
urn,  it  might  be  said,  if  the  brutality  of  man  had 
not  shattered  and  scattered  the  sacred  dust.  And 
the  creative  faculty  of  the  great  Master  is  by  no 
means  least  powerfully  manifested  in  the  "Caridad," 
as  it  is  called. 

This  Institution  is  an  Alms-house,  founded  in 
the  1 6th  Century,  for  the  shelter  of  some  eighty 
poor  old  men.  It  was  renovated  in  the  following 
century  by  a  certain   Don    Miguel  de  Menasa,   a 


230  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

reformed  rake  and  a  friend  of  Murillo.  Here  he  is 
buried.  It  was  fitting,  then,  that  his  friend  should 
have  adorned  the  walls  of  this  Chapel  with  such 
pictures  as  these.  They  form  a  fine  monument  to 
the  charity  of  the  one,  and  to  the  genius  of  the 
other.  The  Chapel  is  gorgeously  ornate  in  other 
ways.  But  the  six  pictures  of  Murillo  form  the 
attraction.  The  three  most  celebrated,  (and  the 
largest,)  are:  "The  Miracle  of  the  Loaves  and 
Fishes"  ;  "  Moses  striking  the  Rock  "  ;  "  San  Juan 
de  Dios."  The  first  presents  a  wonderfully  fine 
group.  Our  Saviour,  in  the  centre,  is  blessing  the 
five  loaves,  and  St.  Peter,  near  Him,  is  taking  the 
two  fishes  from  the  hands  of  a  youth.  The 
"  Moses  "  is  equally  fine.  All  are  pressing  forward 
with  healthy  and  headlong  eagerness  to  drink. 
Man,  woman,  and  beast,  and  not  the  least  to  be 
observed,  is  one  of  Murillo's  characteristically 
masterly  dogs,  who  slakes  his  thirst  with  a  calm 
delight  quite  in  contrast  with  his  human  companions. 
San  Juan  de  Dios  (he  was  canonised  in  the  16th 
Century)  is  said  to  have  been  remarkable,  even  in 
that  charitable  age,  for  his  boundless  charities  to 
the  poor.  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first 
founder  of  a  "refuge"  for  the  poor.  His  picture 
is  appropriate  enough  in  the  Chapel  of  an  Alms- 
house. In  this  picture  he  is  represented  as  bearing 
upon  his  back  an  apparently  dying  beggar.  He 
looks  upward  for  assistance.  An  Angel  appears 
above,  shining  through  the  gloom  of  the  stormy 
night,  to  strengthen  the  Saint  in  his  self-appointed 
labours.     To  Murillo's  kindly  heart  it  was  peculiarly 


THE   "CARIDAD,"  SEVILLE  231 

congenial  to  chronicle  such  pious  acts,  and  in  no 
picture  of  his  has  he  more  brilliantly  asserted  his 
power  of  representing  them.  The  other  three  works 
of  his  in  this  Chapel  are:  "The  Annunciation"; 
"The  Infant  St.  John"  and  a  small  "Madonna 
and  Infant."  "The  Annunciation  "  is  not  one  of 
Murillo's  best  works.  The  "Infant  St.  John"  is. 
The  "  Madonna  and  Infant "  is  exquisite.  It  is 
painted  with  such  startling  force,  that  at  first  sight 
I  imagined  it  to  be  a  work  in  relief.  There  are 
three  other  pictures  in  the  Chapel  worthy  of 
admiration.  The  powerful  "  Descent  from  the 
Cross,"  over  the  altar,  by  Pedro  Roldan.  Two 
pictures  by  Juan  Valdez  Leal.  Death,  as  a  skeleton 
careering  over  treasures  and  types  of  luxury  and 
wealth,  and  a  putrefying  Bishop  surrounded  with 
treasures  ;  "  Sic  transit  gloria  mundi  "  is  inscribed. 
It  is  repugnant,  (both  are  repugnant),  but  the 
decaying  corpse  is  represented  with  consummate 
power.  Murillo  had  so  high  an  opinion  of  the 
realistic  force  of  the  picture,  that  he  said  :  "  You 
must  hold  your  nose,  when  you  approach  it." 
Valdez  Leal  was  born  in  Cordova.  He  was 
extremely  jealous  of  Murillo,  though  he  did  not  die 
of  the  disease,  as  did  one  of  the  Castillos.  As 
regards  Murillo's  pictures  here,  it  is  almost  needless 
to  observe  that  five  of  them  made  the  inevitable 
journey  to  Paris  early  in  the  century.  However, 
they  do  not  seem  to  have  suffered.  They  are  in 
good  condition. 


CHAPTER   XIV 


SEVILLE — THE   ALCAZAR 

The    Alcazar — A     Saracen  Palace — Fanciful     derivation    from 
"  Caesar " — Moorish      Architecture      equally    adapted    for 
religious    and    domestic   purposes — Suggested    by    a    hot 
climate — Loveliness    of    apartments — Rival   those    of  the 
Alhambra — Skill    of    modern    Spaniards   in    renovation — 
The    "Alcazar"    replete    with    associations — Pedro    "the 
Cruel" — Maria   Padilla — Two  of  their  daughters  wives  of 
English    Princes — John    of    Gaunt    claimed    the   Spanish 
Throne — His  daughter  First  Princess  of  Asturias — Spanish 
blood  in   English  veins — The  assistance  of  Pedro  by  the 
"Black  Prince" — Story  of  Pedro,  and  the  Great  Ruby — 
Court  of  the  Ambassadors — Pedro's  victims — Pedro's  sub- 
sequent   fate — The    Gate     of     "Las    Banderas" — Pedro's 
"  Justice  " — Maria  Padilla's  apartments — Comtesse  de  Paris 
born  here — Chapel — Charles  V  married  there — Antiquities 
from  Italica — Rooms  of  Isabella  "  the  Catholic  " — Gardens 
of  the  Palace — An  Ideal  realised — Groves  and  Labyrinths — 
A  Realm  of  Pleasaunce — Baths  of  Maria  Padilla — A  Prison? 
— Palace  of  S.  Telmo  not  far  from  River — Built  by  Ferdi- 
nand  Columbus,    son   of    Christopher — Dedicated   to   the 
Mariner's  Saint — Formerly  Due  de  Montpensier's  Palace, 
and     Picture     Gallery — Extensive     Gardens — Adjoin     the 
Public     one.      Tobacco     Factory,     colossal — A    Tobacco 
Escurial — Has   been   a  Convent,    or   Convents — Cuba   no 
longer    available    as    Government-source  —  Thousands    of 
women  employed — "Natural"  sticking  of  cigars  not   per- 
mitted— Babies  and  female  relatives,  but  no  "  followers  " — 

232 


SEVILLE— THE   ALCAZAR  233 

An  absence  of  "  Carmens " — "  Mancia  "  for  guides  not 
cheerfully  accepted.  Recollections  of  Naples  more  forcible 
— Seville  comparatively  free  from  mendicants — Casa  de 
Pilatos — Another  Saracen  Palace — Erected  by  Enriquez 
de  Ribera — A  "  mystical "  original  in  Jerusalem — Azulejos ; 
Columns ;  Moulded  Vaults — Patio  with  Fountains — Statues 
from  Italica — A  Mosaic  of  the  "  crowing-cock  " — A  coup- 
de-grace  to  the  tradition  —  The  Grand  Staircase,  a 
development  of  Moorish  architecture  here — No  access 
to  the  fine  Gardens — Italica — A  short  drive  there,  through 
Triana,  a  "doubtful"  suburb — River  has  changed  its 
ancient  course — Italica  the  birthplace  of  two  Emperors 
— Amphitheatre  thoroughly  excavated — Absence  of  other 
ruins — Has  been  made  a  "  quarry  " — A  coin  of  Adrian 
— Return  by  another  route — Castileja  de  la  Cuesta — 
Birthplace  and  residence  of  Cortez — Buried  here — Ashes 
removed  to  Mexico — Other  excursions  round  Seville — 
Hurrying  Tourists. 


I  DO  not  know  why  our  guide-books  should 
be  at  pains  to  derive  this  name  from  "  Csesar." 
"Alcala"was  the  Moorish  name  for  "  Castle  "  or 
"  Fort."  The  transition  is  slight  enough,  to 
"Alcazar."  The  Moors  knew  nothing-  about 
Caesar,  and  you  find  an  "Alcala"  in  most  of  the 
towns  occupied  by  them.  Besides,  how  unlikely 
that  a  Castle  or  Hunting  Box  (as  this  probably  was) 
should  be  styled  "  Caesar."  The  Spanish  word 
even,  "  Casa "  (House),  if  another  derivation  be 
preferred,  would  be  simpler  and  more  natural. 
The  early  Saracens  are  probably  the  only  artistic 
people  that  have  invented  a  style  of  architecture 
equally  adapted  for  religious  or  for  domestic  pur- 
poses. No  style  could  be  better  adapted  for  a  hot 
climate  than  these   arched  and  colonnaded  courts 


234  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

and  cloisters.  These  alcoves  and  grottoes,  screened 
and  shrouded  from  the  sun's  glare,  and  from  the 
hubbub  of  the  streets,  invited  repose,  or  stimulated 
to  religious  contemplation.  Silent  worship  would 
develop  into  soothing  recitation,  and  thence  into 
fervent  exhortation  of  the  Deity.  Then  as  the 
congregations  of  the  Faithful  became  larger  and 
more  intent  upon  religious  observations,  the  build- 
ings preserving  the  same  character  would  become 
larger  and  more  spacious.  Anyhow,  more  lovely 
suites  of  Arab  apartments  than  those  in  the 
Alcazar  are  scarcely  to  be  seen,  not  even  at 
Granada. 

Where  restoration  has  been  needed  (and  of 
course  in  the  longf  vicissitudes  of  centuries  it 
has  been  imperative)  of  roofs,  ceilings,  floors  and 
doors,  it  has  been  carried  out  with  the  utmost  taste 
and  with  fidelity  to  the  spirit  in  which  the  old 
architects  worked.  Even  if  it  had  been  otherwise, 
the  ineffable  grace  and  elegance  of  the  architectural 
forms  and  designs  could  scarcely  have  been  marred. 
The  beauty  of  the  colouring  of  the  Azulejos,  the 
many-coloured  stalactite  decoration  of  alcoves  and 
domes,  the  carved  ceilings,  the  joinings  and  fittings 
of  marble  pavements,  and  columns,  have  been  pre- 
served and  renovated  in  a  true  artistic  spirit.  The 
whole  dazzling  series  of  the  chambers  of  this  bril- 
liant and  fascinating  Palace  are  full  of  historical 
and  romantic  interest  as  well.  These  colonnades 
and  courts  vibrate  with  the  echoes  of  love  and 
poetry,  or  with  the  dark  memories  of  cruelty  and 
assassination.      Pedro    "the  Cruel"  and  his  wife, 


SEVILLE— THE  ALCAZAR  235 

the  lovely  and  gentle  Maria  Padilla,  seem  still  to 
haunt  the  scenes  of  their  pomp,  their  power  and 
their  loves.  To  Maria  Padilla,  the  husband  of  her 
heart  was  no  mere  bloody  tyrant,  and  his  constancy 
to  the  beauteous  golden-haired  Maria  has  covered 
a  multitude  of  his  crimes.  Both  are  specially 
interesting  to  Britons,  for  two  of  their  daughters 
married  English  Princes,  John  of  Gaunt  and  the 
Duke  of  York.  After  Pedro's  death  at  the  hands 
of  his  illegitimate  brother,  Henry  of  Transtamarre, 
John  of  Gaunt  unsuccessfully  claimed  the  Spanish 
throne.  He  had,  however,  the  consolation  later,  of 
seeing  his  daughter  (the  first  Princess  of  the 
Asturias,  by  the  way)  wearing  the  crown  of  Castile 
and  Leon.  For  she  married  the  grandson  of  the 
above-named  Henry,  and  who  afterwards  became 
Henry  III.  She  was  the  granddaughter,  there- 
fore, of  Maria  Padilla.  Thus  in  the  veins  of  the 
rival  Houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  Spanish  blood 
flowed.  This  connection  with  England  it  was, 
in  conjunction  with  later  alliances,  upon  which 
Philip  II  based  his  claims  to  the  English  crown. 
Pedro  the  Cruel  lost  his  throne  for  a  time,  having 
been  defeated  by  his  brother,  Henry  of  Transta- 
marre and  the  famous  Du  Guesclin.  Our  still  more 
famous  Black  Prince,  however,  then  resident  at  his 
Court  of  Bordeaux,  espoused  the  cause  of  his  rela- 
tive, the  defeated  Monarch,  and  by  his  victory  at 
Navarate  placed  Pedro  once  more  upon  the  throne. 
The  huge  ruby  in  the  crown  of  the  English 
Monarch,  which  we  have  all  admired  at  the  Tower 
of  London,  was  presented  to  the   Black  Prince  in 


236  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

acknowledgment  of  his  victory.  It  was  in  this  very 
palace  (likely  enough  in  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
the  apartments,  in  the  Court  of  the  Ambassadors) 
that  Pedro  had  possessed  himself,  by  a  most  in- 
iquitous act,  of  this  famous  precious  stone.  An 
usurping  King  of  Granada,  Abu  Said,  had  in  his 
turn  become  a  fugitive,  and,  trusting  to  the  good 
faith  of  Pedro,  had  taken  refuge  in  his  Court  in  the 
Alcazar.  Pedro,  with  even  more  than  his  cus- 
tomary cruelty,  was  not  ashamed  to  commit  the 
blackest  of  treacherous  crimes.  He  murdered  the 
wretched  man  and  seized  his  treasures.  We  will 
hope  that  the  ill-gotten  ruby  may  never  bring  down 
misfortune  upon  any  English  head  that  may  wear 
the  crown,  whereof  it  is  the  most  distinctive  orna- 
ment. You  will  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  leave  the 
splendid  Hall,  where  we  suppose  the  above-men- 
tioned deed  of  blood  to  have  been  consummated. 
So  perfect  is  it  in  proportions,  so  fancifully  gorgeous 
in  the  decoration  of  its  roof,  and  in  the  brilliancy  of 
its  Azulejos  work.  But  you  will  either  go  out,  or 
enter  by  a  doorway,  where  the  exact  spot  of  Don 
Fadrique's  murder  will  be  pointed  out.  He  was 
the  King's  left-handed  brother,  and  bore  the  rank 
of  Master  of  Santiago.  He  had  come  expressly  to 
his  brother's  Court  to  swear  allegiance  to  him. 
Maria  de  Padilla,  who  was  aware  of  her  husband's 
designs  upon  his  brother's  life,  had  done  all  in  her 
power  to  move  the  King  to  pity.  But  Pedro  was 
not  a  man  to  be  moved  to  mercy,  especially  when  a 
brother's  life  was  in  question.  It  was  fully  in 
accordance   with   historical    retribution,  that  Pedro 


SEVILLE— THE   ALCAZAR  237 

himself  was  to  fall  a  victim  to  the  dagger  of  another 
brother.  The  latter  event  is  the  subject  of  a 
Spanish  poem,  which,  with  many  other  Spanish 
ballads,  has  been  spiritedly  done  into  English  by 
Lockhart  In  the  great  gate  of  "  Las  Banderas  " 
(for  here  the  Royal  banner  is  upon  occasion  hoisted) 
Pedro  was  wont  to  seat  himself  in  Eastern  manner, 
for  the  administration  of  what  he  called  justice.  It 
must  have  been  a  queer  kind  of  justice, — not  much 
differing,  one  supposes,  from  that  which  has  been 
termed  the  "wild  Justice  of  revenge."  Pedro  must 
have  been  half  a  Moor  indeed  in  this  way,  and  also 
in  the  erection  or  renovation  of  this  splendid 
Moorish  Palace  by  Moorish  artists.  We  are  shown 
the  lovely  apartments  of  Maria  Padilla,  in  one  of 
which  the  present  Comtesse  de  Paris  first  saw  the 
fierce  Spanish  light.  For  the  Palace  is  used  still 
as  a  Royal  residence.  All  has  been  so  cared  for 
and  so  artistically  renewed  in  the  best  manner,  that 
it  is  not  only  in  every  way  a  suitable  residence, 
adapted  to  modern  usages  in  a  most  sultry  clime, 
but  one  of  the  most  unique  and  splendid  of  Palaces. 
In  the  Chapel  above,  Charles  V  married  Isabel  of 
Portugal.  He  erected  the  fireplaces,  too,  for  even 
in  this  fervent  climate,  the  slow  circulation  of 
Caesar's  blood  required  accelerating.  In  one  of  the 
rooms  a  great  trouvaille  of  Roman  antiquities  from 
Italica  was,  for  a  long  time,  placed,  and  so  forgotten 
eventually,  that  they  ran  the  risk  of  again  being 
buried.  They  were  at  length  unearthed  again,  by 
an  artistic  Alcayde,  and  were  placed  in  the  Museo, 
where  we  have  already  seen  them.     Other  inter- 


238  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

esting  rooms  are  those  of  the  Grandmother  of 
Charles  V,  Isabella  the  Catholic.  In  your  search 
for  the  garden  of  the  Palace,  you  will  have  to  make 
a  circuitous  route,  for  you  are  not  allowed  to 
descend,  as  could  be  wished,  from  any  balcony  or 
steps,  from  one  of  the  apartments.  It  would  be 
a  pity  to  miss  seeing  these  Hesperian  Gardens, 
for  they  are  such,  that  any  one  with  an  ideal  in 
his  soul  of  what  a  truly  Southern  Garden  should 
be,  and  to  behold  which  has  been  the  aspi- 
ration of  his  life,  will  make  his  heart  bound 
with  the  delight  of  realisation.  It  is  a  small 
Arcadia,  tempered  by  cinque-cento  beds  of  myrtle 
and  box,  fantastically  fashioned  into  the  eagles  of 
Charles  V  and  other  quaint  heraldic  devices. 
Bosky  labyrinths  of  cypress  and  box,  groves  of 
pomegranates,  blossomed  with  their  little  feathery 
tongues  of  flame,  alleys  and  lanes  of  citrons,  and 
palms  and  orange  trees, — the  last  clipped  and 
nurtured  into  towering  avenues. 

"  Imbowered  vaults  of  pillar'd  palm, 
Imprisoning  sweets  of  violets  and  rose ; 
A  realm  of  pleasaunce,  many  a  mound, 
And  many  a  shadow-chequer'd  lawn, 
And  deep  myrrh-thickets  blowing  round 
The  stately  cedar.     Tamarisks,  thick  rosaries 
Of  scented  thorn, — tall  orient  shrubs." 

It  would  seem  that  Tennyson  had  been  in 
Seville !  In  one's  ugly  modern  garb  one  is  an 
anachronism  here.  Man,  at  least,  is  an  anachron- 
ism.     It  is  aTwelfth  Night  "  Pleasaunce."     Olivia 


SEVILLE  239 

and  Malvolio  should  be  haunting  these  terraces  and 
groves  and  fountains.  The  gardens  should  be 
crowded  by  stately  forms  of  Seiloras  and  Hidalgos 
arrayed  in  all  the  sumptuousness  of  cinque-cento 
costume.  You  will  also  see  vast  vaulted  alcoves, 
beneath  the  Palace,  at  the  top  of  the  garden.  They 
are  Maria  Padilla's  baths.  They  are  quite  Roman 
in  style  and  scale,  and  still  echoing  with  the  plash- 
ing ripple  of  waters.  It  is  said  that  they  have  also 
been  used  as  prisons. 

The  Palace  of  "  San  Telmo,"  close  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  River,  and  which  you  will  pass  every 
day  on  your  way  to  the  "  Delicias"  or  Rotten  Row 
of  Seville,  is  worthy  of  admiration.  It  is  a  very 
picturesque  building  of  the  16th  Century,  built  by 
Fernando  Columbus  as  a  Naval  College.  It  is 
"  Churrigueresque,"  and  as  that  term  is,  in  the 
mouth  of  architectural  purists,  almost  synonymous 
with  contempt,  we  should  not  be  allowed,  I  sup- 
pose, to  glance  at  it  with  admiration.  But,  both  as 
a  fine  building,  and  as  a  monument  to  the  memory 
of  the  son  of  Christopher  Columbus,  it  must  come 
in  for  some  of  our  attention.  Fernando  Columbus 
dedicated  the  College  to  San  Telmo,  the  mariner's 
Saint,  and  as  some  suppose,  as  a  special  offering 
for  mercies  vouchsafed  during  a  more  than  usually 
perilous  voyage  of  his.  It  was  recently  the  Palace 
of  the  Due  de  Montpensier,  and  once  contained  a 
collection  of  pictures,  and  objets  dart.  But  it  is 
no  longer  a  Royal  residence,  and  is,  I  believe, 
again  devoted  to  secular  purposes,  by  the  Seville 
Municipality.     It   possesses   a  fine  garden,   which, 


240  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

again,  abuts  upon  another  large  garden — a  public 
one — with  restaurants  and  cafes,  where  entertain- 
ments, musical  and  others,  make  glad  the  souls  of 
pleasure-hunting  Sevillans  after  dark.  Being  so 
near  the  famous  Tobacco  Factory,  that  institution 
will  probably  be  visited  when  you  are  sight-seeing 
in  this  part  of  the  town.  One  requires  a  very  large 
pen  to  describe  this  colossal  edifice.  A  pen  six 
feet  in  length,  like  those  which  the  Apostles  bran- 
dish in  the  spandrels  of  St.  Peter's  dome  in  Rome. 
It  is  a  Tobacco  Escurial  in  magnitude.  The  sue- 
cession  of  Courts  bewilders  one,  and  the  rooms  are 
past  counting.  I  suppose  it  to  have  been  a  Con- 
vent originally.  For  even  with  the  unbounded 
capacity  of  all  true  Spaniards  for  consuming  cigar- 
ettes and  cigars  and  snuff,  and  with  every  allow- 
ance for  the  exportation  of  the  same,  this  fabric 
might  supply  Europe  with  tobacco.  Formerly,  the 
Spaniards  had  the  huge  resources  of  Cuba  and 
other  Colonies  to  draw  upon,  duty-free  ;  now  the 
loss  of  their  American  possessions  has  materially 
curtailed  the  supply  of  their  tobaccos.  Even  now 
some  thousands  of  women  derive  their  living  from 
the  manufacture  of  cigars  and  cigarettes.  I  was 
glad  to  see,  as  I  went  through  these  crowds  of  pale 
females,  that  they  did  not  employ  natural  moisture 
in  rolling  cigarettes,  or  in  flattening  tobacco-leaves. 
Bowls  and  goblets  of  water  are  ranged  along  the 
tables,  where  these  toilers  are  seated.  I  fear  that 
their  day's  work  is  a  day  of  ten  hours.  Those  who 
have  got  babies,  (the  majority  of  them,  I  should 
say,)   are   allowed   to   take   them   here,  and  other 


SEVILLE  241 

relatives  too,  I  imagine,  for  they  were  not  all  at 
work.  Men  seem  to  be  rigidly  excluded.  Indeed, 
if  they  were  admitted,  I  suppose  that  very  few  of 
the  ten  hours  would  be  occupied  in  making  cigars. 
It  may  be  imagined  that  these  huge  rooms  are  not 
caves  of  silence,  nor  that  Spanish  babies  have  lungs 
less  obstreperous  than  those  of  other  nations.  Let 
no  one  come  here  with  the  expectation  of  finding  any 
"  Carmens  "  :  I  really  did  not  see  a  pretty  face  ;  all 
of  commonplace  feature  and  colouring,  and  even  so 
the  dress  unassisted  by  mantillas.  Another  illusion 
gone,  for  "  Carmens,"  with  coquettish  glance  and 
roguish  becks,  have  been  conspicuous  by  their 
absence.  You,  of  course,  hand  a  little  "mancia"  to 
the  matronly  lady  who  has  been  conducting  you 
through  the  mazes  of  feminine  fascinations  for  so 
long,  and  the  janitor  who  had  the  honour  of  con- 
ducting you  to  her  presence  will  not  be  forgotten. 
I  thought  that  I  detected  a  shade  of  disappointment 
passing  over  both  parchment  visages.  But  to  that 
manifestation  of  chagrin  I  have  become  inured. 
The  modest  recompense,  which  in  Italy  at  least  is 
cheerfully  accepted,  appears  to  be  deemed  short  of 
the  justly-due  in  Spain.  So  you  must  bear  it  like 
a  man  unless  you  prefer  requiting  such  services 
with  needless  generosity.  I  have  been  more 
strongly  reminded  of  Naples  to-day,  than  I  have 
been  since  I  came  to  Seville.  Perhaps  it  has  been 
in  the  larger  buildings  that  I  have  seen,  especially 
those  that  boast  of  Churrigueresque,  or  Baroque 
ornamentation,  or  in  the  predominance  in  this 
part  of  the  City  of  spacious  Convents  whether  dis- 

16 


242  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

established  or  not,  or  in  the  freer  port  and  carriage 
of  the  populace. 

Certainly  there  is  a  remarkably  Spanish  character 
in  portions  of  Naples,  both  in  the  ethnological  type, 
and  architecturally.  There  is  one  great  dissimilarity. 
Seville  is  pleasingly  free  from  beggars  ;  one  cannot 
say  that  of  the  other  attractive  but  cttcousu  city. 
Whilst  upon  this  subject,  I  am  tempted  to  hazard 
a  remark  that  in  Spain  the  average  of  comfort 
and  "  well-to-do-ishness "  (excuse  Barroqueness  of 
expression)  seems  much  more  general  than  in  Italy. 

You  would  search  in  vain  at  Jerusalem  for  the 
original  of  the  very  beautiful  Casa  de  Pilatos. 
Yet  Fadrique  Enriquez  de  Ribera,  who  built  it  in 
the  1 6th  Century,  is  credited  by  the  chroniclers  as 
having  erected  it  after  the  model  of  a  house  existing 
in  the  Holy  City  known  as  the  House  of  Pilate. 
It  is  possible  that  upon  its  site,  some  one  may  have, 
in  years  long  subsequent  to  the  epoch  of  Pontius 
Pilate,  built  to  his  soul  a  lordly  pleasure  house  in 
the  Saracenic  style.  But  of  such  a  building  we 
know  nothing.  We  are  quite  content,  however,  to 
accept  this  Palace  as  a  very  splendid  example  of 
Moresque  Architecture  whatever  may  have  been 
the  cause  of  its  erection.  Its  present  owner  is  the 
Duke  of  Medina-Celdi,  one  of  the  greatest  of 
Spanish  families.  It  is  a  Palace  worthy  of  housing 
so  illustrious  a  stock.  All  the  lovely  things  that 
make  a  Moorish  Palace  so  delightful  are  here  in 
abundance.  Azulejos-tilings  of  singularly  varied 
hues  and  patterns,  graceful  columns,  with  glittering 
capitals,   carved   ceilings,   brilliant   pavements   and 


3 


SEVILLE  243 

symmetrical    colonnades,  and  a  grand    Patio  with 
fountains.     In  this  Patio  are  placed  Roman  statues 
and   busts,   which   are   said   to   be  spoils   from   the 
Roman   City  of  Italica.     There  was   not  any  one 
of  surpassing  merit,  but  for  general  decorative  effect 
good   enough.      The   grand   staircase   (a  work   of 
supererogation  for  a  Moorish  house)  struck  me  as 
magnificent.      The    Moorish    style    of    decoration 
being  carried  on  without  stint,  and  with   splendid 
effect,   especially  in   the   cupola  and   ceilings.      To 
keep   up  the  idea  of   Pontius   Pilate,  a   "crowing 
cock"  has  been  introduced  in  "  Azulejos "  upon  the 
staircase.      That    particular    decoration    gives    the 
finishing    stroke    to    the    other    lavishly    beautiful 
tilings — and  also   to  the  credibility  of  the  legend 
that  the  house  represented  that  of  Pontius  Pilate. 
I  was  not  permitted,  I  know  not  why,  to  enter  the 
gardens,  but  from  the  glimpses  which   I   obtained 
from   above,    it    seemed    to    me   almost   a   second 
edition  of  those  of  the  Alcazar. 

The  considerable  relics  of  the  old  Roman  City 
scattered  about  in  Seville,  (at  the  Museo  especially) 
will  inspire  most  people  to  visit  the  site  of  Italica. 
It  is  very  easily  reached  in  an  hour  and  a  half. 
You  cross  the  river,  through  the  Triana  quarter, 
and  that  doubtful  quarter  cleared,  you  find  yourself 
upon  an  extremely  dusty  and  ill-kept  road.  The 
country,  too,  is  uninteresting,  sparsely  cultivated, 
and  with  but  few  dwellings.  The  River,  since 
Roman  times,  has  played  false  to  Italica  by  altering 
its  course,  which  accounts  both  for  the  desertion  of 
the  City  and  for  the  sterile  aspect  of  the  Country. 


244  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

As  the  birthplace  of  one  of  the  greatest  Roman 
Emperors,  Trajan,  and  also  of  Theodosius,  one 
expected  and  would  have  wished,  indeed,  to  have 
beheld  the  City  unveiled.  But,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Amphitheatre,  there  are  no  remains  whatever 
visible  now.  The  Amphitheatre  repays  a  visit. 
It  is  a  large  one,  the  rows  of  seats  still  fairly 
defined,  and  the  corridors  and  vomitoria  thoroughly 
excavated.  The  custode,  too,  will  be  sure  to  have 
a  coin  or  two  to  sell  you,  as  a  memento  of  your 
visit,  and  presented  me  with  a  small  silver  penny 
of  Adrian.  The  absence  of  other  ruins,  or  remains, 
may  be  explained  by  the  place  having  been  made 
use  of  as  a  quarry.  If  you  return  by  another  road, 
that  near  Castileja  de  la  Cuesta,  you  have  learned 
where  one  of  the  very  greatest  of  Spaniards, 
Hernan  Cortez,  lived  and  died.  "  He  was  first 
buried  in  the  village-chapel  upon  the  site  of  Italica." 
His  bones  were  subsequently  removed  to  Mexico, 
the  scene  of  his  astonishing  and  chequered  glory. 
Any  one  with  time  at  his  disposal  will,  no  doubt, 
visit  many  other  sites,  and  objects,  near  Seville, 
such  as  are  duly  noted  in  the  guide-books,  but 
many,  I  think,  will  content  themselves  with  seeing 
what  has  been  detailed  above.  I  think  that  one  is 
generally  apt  to  see  too  much  rather  than  too  little. 
Crowding  too  many  sights  into  a  few  days,  results 
in  weakening,  rather  than  in  vivifying  the  impres- 
sion subsequently.  If  we  visit  two  or  three 
churches  in  one  day,  for  example,  what  do  we  really 
remember  of  each  one  six  weeks  later  ?  Or,  if  we 
run  through  two  picture  galleries,  or  museums,  one 


SEVILLE  245 

after  the  other,  will  our  recollections  of  this  or  that 
Murillo,  or  of  that  tomb,  or  monument,  be  very- 
clear  when  afterwards  we  strive  to  bring  them 
before  us  again  ?  And  then  again,  in  endeavouring 
to  ransack  all  those  records  of  the  Past,  which  a 
tourist  is  told  by  his  guide-books  to  be  indispen- 
sably necessary  to  his  education,  is  he  not  wont  to 
shut  his  eyes  entirely  to  the  Present.  When  pro- 
pelling himself  out  of  one  Gallery  or  Church,  and 
into  another,  the  mind  of  many  a  tourist  must  often 
I  think,  turn  to  the  reverse  of  that  antique  medal, 
the  Past,  to  find  out  what  people  are  doing  in  the 
Present.  To  have  a  glimpse  of  the  commerce  and 
trade  which  are  employing  thousands  of  toilers  ;  to 
visit  one  of  those  charitable  institutions,  or  factories  ; 
even  to  converse  with  that  shopkeeper,  and  to 
acquaint  oneself  with  his  ideas  and  his  interests, 
for  all  these  things,  the  tourist  has  no  time.  I 
suppose  it  is  inevitable,  and  thus  there  is  scarcely 
a  City,  perhaps,  in  the  course  of  our  headlong 
sight-seeing  that  one  can  be  said  to  know. 


CHAPTER   XV 


THE    ALHAMBRA 

From  Cordova  to  Granada  by  rail — Road  through  featureless, 
yellow  tracts — Montilla  an  "  Oasis  " — First  verdant  spot — 
La  Roda,  Seville  Junction — Thence  to  Granada,  smiling 
scenes — Beautiful  Hill-scenery — Look  out  for  "  Loja  " — 
Neighbourhood  rife  with  Moorish  associations — Broiling 
journey — Arrival  at  Granada — Another  Clime,  another 
Country — Entrance  to  precincts  of  Alhambra — Gate  of 
Charles  V — A  beautiful  Forest — Fountains  and  Running 
Waters  —  Nightingales  —  Hotels  —  "  Washington  Irving," 
"Siete  Suelos  "— "  Siete  Suelos  "  not  of  the  hotel— Blocked- 
up  Tower — Boabdil-el-Chico — Alhambra,  an  ideal  Fortress — 
The  Romans  were  here,  too— Similarity  to  Italian  Hill-cities, 
or  Indian  Fortresses — Entrance  to  Palace  through  a  small 
door — Puerta  della  Giustizia — "  Sublime  Porte  " — Descrip- 
tion of — The  Mystic  Hand — The  Key — Imposing  scene 
of  yore — Keynote  as  Fortress — Torre  de  la  Vega — Ramparts 
and  Towers — Torre  del  Vino — Plaza  de  los  Algibes — 
Moorish  Cisterns — Renaissance  Palace  of  Charles  V — En- 
trance into  the  Alhambra  Palace— Patio  de  la  Alberca — 
Tower  of  Comares — Arabian  Art-atmosphere — Perfection  of 
Moorish  Art — A  preternatural  race  of  Bees — Ornamentation, 
"  Inscriptions,"  Sermons  in  stucco — Freshness  of — Artistic 
renovation — Alhambra,  no  Pompeii  or  Palatine — The  Moors, 
"out  for  the  day" — Perpetual  youth — Contemporary  Art- 
critics — Fountain  in  "Court  of  Lions" — "  Pyramus  and 
Thisbe,"  recalled — "Las  dos  Hermanas "  ("The  Two 
Sisters  ") — Ford's    remarks — Sultan's    favourite    rooms   de- 

246 


THE   ALHAMBRA  247 

stroyed — Upper  story — Patio  Lindaraja — Sala  de  los  Aben- 
cerrages  and  Court — The  Mezquita — King  Yusuf  stabbed — 
The  oldest  portion  of  the  Alhambra — Transformed  and 
rebuilt,  temp.  Charles  V — Charles's  Architect,  Machuca — 
Garden,  so-named — A  fascinating  Chamber — Mirador,  della 
Reina — Loveliness  of  views  thence — El  Bafio  del  Rey — 
Chamber  "del  Riposo" — Gallery — Silence  and  languor — 
Spirit  of  the  Alhambra. 

IT  is  not  until  Montilla  is  reached,  upon  this 
Railway  line,  that  the  country  becomes  inter- 
esting. Hitherto,  it  has  been  bare  and  sandy  and 
nearly  featureless.  Montilla  has  a  pleasing  sound 
for  those  who  have  ever  imbibed  the  very  good 
wine  for  which  this  district  is  deservedly  famous. 
Your  heart  has  been  cheered  before  now  by  its 
vintage,  and  now  it  leaps  up  to  greet  the  first  pretty 
spot  you  have  seen  since  leaving  Cordova.  Montilla 
stands  high  up  on  your  right,  much  exposed  to 
the  sun,  but  girdled  below  by  groves  of  pome- 
granates and  olive  orchards.  The  district  is  famous 
for  olive  oil,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  trees  extends 
far  and  wide  in  this  part  of  Spain.  But  it  is  at 
La  Roda,  where  the  Seville  line  meets  that  of 
Cordova,  where  the  really  pretty  country  com- 
mences. And  thence  to  Granada  the  eye  is  grati- 
fied by  beautiful  hill-scenery  and  a  varied  landscape. 
Look  out  for  beautiful  Loja,  both  town  and  district, 
crowned  with  Moorish  history  and  traditions. 
After  the  hottest  of  journeys  ever  to  be  experienced, 
nothing  could  be  more  gratifying  than  the  arrival  at 
Granada,  the  cool  fountain-tinkling  city.  The  feel- 
ing was  that  of  being  in  another  country,  and  in 
another  clime.     And  so  it  is.     You  have  left  Spain 


248  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

behind  you,  you  are  in  Granada.  They  are  worlds 
apart.  The  longer  you  stop  in  Granada  (and  who 
has  ever  willingly  torn  himself  away  ?)  the  stronger 
will  be  your  conviction  that  Spain  is  merely  a  feoff 
of  Granada.  It  is  by  a  handsome  modern  gate  (that 
erected  by  Charles  V)  that  you  enter  the  precincts 
of  the  Alhambra,  the  "  Red  "  Fortress- Palace  of 
the  Moorish  Sovereigns.  It  is  a  stiff  pull  up  hill, 
and  the  slower  you  go  the  better,  for  you  are  in  a 
beautiful  wood  of  plane  and  elm  and  poplar  and 
lime  and  cherry  trees,  and  you  hear  the  splashing 
sounds  of  running  waters  and  fountains  all  about 
you,  with  the  pipings  of  nightingales  thrown  in  !  It 
is  a  joy,  after  so  many  leagues  of  treeless,  yellow 
Spain. 

Your  coach  sets  you  down  at  the  end  of  these 
charming  forest-groves,  at  one  of  the  two  Hotels, 
the  "  Siete  Suelos,"  and  the  "  Washington  Irving," 
which  face  each  other.  The  name  "  Siete  Suelos," 
"  Seven  Stories,"  does  not  refer  to  the  Hotel.  It 
commemorates  the  much  blocked-up  Tower  of  that 
name,  immortalised  as  that  from  which  the  hapless 
ejected  Boabdil-el-Chico,  the  last  of  the  Moorish 
Sovereigns,  took  his  sorrowful  farewell  of  the 
glorious  home  of  his  ancestors.  The  elevated 
position  of  the  Alhambra  must,  long  before  the 
Moorish  epoch,  have  made  it  an  ideal  Fortress, — an 
Acropolis, — for  whatever  Races  may  have  preceded 
the  Moors.  The  ubiquitous  Romans  must  needs 
have  been  here,  but  I  suppose  that  any  work  of 
theirs  has  disappeared  beneath  the  buildings  of  later 
Conquerors.     You    may   be  reminded,  perhaps,  of 


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THE   ALHAMBRA  249 

some  of  the  fine  Hill-cities  of  Italy — Perugia,  or 
Cortona,  or  Orvieto,  upon  your  first  sight  of  the 
Alhambra.  But  it  may  be  likened  rather  to  one 
of  the  vast  Fortress-Palaces  of  India,  such  as  Dow- 
lutabad  (near  Aurungabad),  or  that  of  Pertabghur, 
in  the  Mahratta  Country. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  you  should  not  enter  into 
the  lovely  Courts  and  colonnades  of  the  Alhambra, 
by  one  of  the  grand  Moorish  arches.  It  would  be 
much  more  impressive  than  having  to  creep  in 
through  a  small  door  near  the  Palace  of  Charles  V. 

o 

But  you  do  enter  the  precincts  of  the  Alhambra  by 
the  grandest  gate  of  all,  that  known  as  the  Puerta 
della  Giustizia,  The  Porch,  the  "Sublime  Porte" 
par  excellence.  It  is  the  typical  Entrance-Gate  of 
a  Palace,  such  as  you  have  often  seen  in  illustrations 
to  the  "Arabian  Nights."  Over  the  Arch  is  in- 
scribed a  large  hand,  open,  and  open  especially  to 
any  interpretation  you  may  put  into  it.  The  Gate 
was  erected  in  1348,  by  Yusuf  I,  one  of  the 
greatest  decorators  of  the  Alhambra.  His  name 
is  introduced  here,  and  in  countless  other  places  in 
the  Palace,  as  was  only  fitting  and  appropriate. 
You  will  see  before  you,  high  on  the  inner  Arch, 
another  mystic  sign,  a  "  Key."  A  "  key  "  is  sug- 
gestive of  so  many  meanings,  and  here  again  you 
are  at  liberty  to  interpret  the  symbol  as  you  will. 
In  this  magnificent  entrance  to  the  Palace,  the 
Sovereign  dispensed  justice  with  "open  hand"  (as 
above)  surrounded  by  his  Wuzeers  and  ministers, 
and  generals,  and  men  of  war.  One  can  imagine 
the  imposing  splendour  of   the   scene.     The    now 


250  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

swallow-haunted  gate  is  not  without  ingeniously- 
contrived  defences,  and  at  night,  when  attack  might 
be  reasonably  expected,  the  invader  would  have 
found  the  intricate  tortuous  passage  that  gives 
access  to  the  Plaza  beyond,  hard  to  negotiate.  It 
is  this  Gate  that  gives  the  keynote  to  the  whole 
Alhambra  as  a  Fortress.  And  as  soon  as  you  have 
passed  through  and  seen  the  great  Tower  de  la  Vega 
rearing  itself  before  you,  and  the  Ramparts,  and 
other  Towers  springing  up  from  the  long  circuit  of 
fortified  walls,  you  realise  that  it  is  not  only  a 
succession  of  lovely  apartments  that  you  have  come 
to  see,  but  the  strongest  Fortress  of  Moorish  Spain. 
Do  not  fail,  before  you  pass  on,  to  look  at  an 
isolated  Tower, — called  "del  Vino," — with  a  lovely 
Arch,  encrusted  with  radiant  and  many-coloured 
Moorish  tiles.  Proceeding  onward,  you  cross  the 
famous  Plaza  de  los  Algibes,  with  its  truly  Moorish 
cisterns.  They  are  filled  by  the  River  Darro.  It 
is  considered  to  be  the  best  water  in  Granada. 
Donkeys,  mules,  and  ponies  are  always  ascending 
to  carry  off  the  much-prized  water,  forming  scenes 
worthy  of  the  East  and  of  the  painter's  brush. 
This  Plaza  divides  the  Palace  from  the  Citadel 
proper.  Fine  as  may  be  the  never-finished  Renais- 
sance Palace  of  Charles  V,  which  is  the  next  object 
which  presents  itself,  you  will  be  disinclined  to  tarry 
now,  and  you  make  for  the  obscure  and  insignifi- 
cant door,  in  rear  of  that  Palace,  which  is  to  admit 
you  into  the  glories  of  the  Alhambra.  You  have  to 
swallow  your  objections  to  entering  by  a  portal  of  so 
small  impressiveness.     You  find  yourself  at  once  in 


THE  ALHAMBRA  251 

the  Patio  de  la  Alberca  ("  Fish  Pond").  It  was 
altered  and  interfered  with  by  Philip  V,  and  more 
usually  bears  the  name  of  that  Monarch.  It  recalls 
to  mind  the  very  similar  avenue  of  waters  and  fish 
ponds,  that  leads  up  to  the  world-famous  Taj  Mahal. 
The  marble  pavement  shines  brilliantly  through  the 
waters,  which  are  bordered  by  verdure  of  orange 
trees  and  myrtle  and  Japanese  medlar.  Upon  your 
right,  as  you  stand  contemplating,  the  further  end, 
which  is  overshadowed  by  another  grand  Tower, 
that  called  "Comares,"  runs  a  fascinating  double 
colonnade.  Your  feelings  at  the  outset  of  your 
journey,  and  so  they  continue  to  be,  are  not  those 
of  bewilderment  as  they  were  when  you  first  plunged 
into  the  labyrinths  of  the  Mosque  at  Cordova,  but 
rather  of  intense  admiration.  Here,  and  through- 
out the  Palace,  all  is  much  what  you  expected  to 
see.  You  have  been  from  childhood,  perhaps, 
half-familiar  with  these  pillared  grottoes,  these 
arabesqued  courts.  But  how  serenely  beautiful, 
how  fairy-like,  how  restful,  how  enchanting ;  how 
noble  even,  were  the  courts  and  colonnades  not  so 
intricate  and  shrouded.  How  delicate  and  dream- 
ful it  all  is,  as  you  seem  to  pass  without  an  effort 
upon  your  part  into  the  Arabian  atmosphere  of  the 
13th  Century.  What  a  perception  of  beauty  these 
old  Moorish  artists  possessed !  What  a  prodigality 
of  fancy,  yet  always  restrained  in  its  expression. 
What  a  sense  of  harmony,  proportion,  balance, 
colour  !  and  everywhere  the  refinement  of  a  perfect 
taste.  The  Moors  absolutely  revel  in  ornamen- 
tation.    So  lavishly  and  so  minutely,  too,  has  their 


252  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

genius  for  decoration  impelled  them  to  overspread 
with  ornament  and  colour  every  apartment  of  the 
Alhambra,  that  you  are  prone  to  overlook  the  regu- 
larity, the  almost  mathematical  precision  of  their 
mode  of  work.  You  would  almost  say  that  the 
intricate  delicacies  of  the  honeycomb  work  of  the 
domes  and  recesses,  had  been  executed  by  a 
preternatural  race  of  bees.  That  the  filagree- 
like  beauty  of  the  stalactites,  the  recurrent 
embroideries  as  of  lace-work,  had  been  formed 
by  specially-selected  coral-insects  or  ants.  Who 
thinks  when  he  first  casts  his  eyes  around  the 
incessant  ornamentation  of  these  walls,  and  domes, 
that  he  is  regarding  inscriptions  ?  Yet  so  it  is. 
The  walls  of  these  lovely  apartments  are  open 
books  in  Arabic  or  Cufic.  Verses  from  the 
Koran,  pious  aspirations,  poems  or  records  in 
praise  of  those  who  built  or  reigned  here.  Verily 
sermons  in  stones!  In  praise,  too,  of  the  Buildings 
themselves  ;  ejaculations  to  Allah, — all  sentences 
couched  in  the  flowery  style  peculiar  to  the 
Easterns.  Here,  the  tired  warrior,  or  the  medi- 
tative lounger,  had  no  need  of  books,  when  the 
walls  around  them  soothed  them  with  poems  and 
sentiments,  or  aroused  their  devotion  to  Allah,  or 
to  the  occupant  of  the  throne.  Who  would  have 
thought  it  possible  that  mere  Arabic  inscriptions 
could  have  produced  such  infinite  combinations  of 
patterns,  and  of  decorative  effects  ?  Solomon  in 
all  his  glory  would  have  sighed  for  such  a  Palace 
as  this.  It  is  a  marvel  that  so  much  of  a  perishable 
nature  should  have  been  preserved.     Certainly  the 


THE  ALHAMBRA  253 

modern  Spaniards  have  so  carried  out  the  repairs  in 
a  most  conscientious,  careful,  and  artistic  spirit,  that 
the  bewildering  succession  of  lovely  halls  and  apart- 
ments seem  to  be  as  fresh  as  when  the  original 
workmen  laid  down  their  tools.  They  tell  you  that 
many  of  the  rooms  have  been  destroyed,  altered, 
and  removed.  Of  that  you  are  not  conscious, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  case  fifty  or  a 
hundred  years  ago.  You  are  only  wonderingly 
and  expansively  grateful  for  the  treasures  that 
remain.  For  here  in  the  Alhambra,  there  is  no 
question  of  ruined  Palaces,  nor  of  abandoned  seats 
of  fallen  greatness,  crumbling  and  shattered.  The 
Alhambra  is  no  roofless  and  desolated  Pompeii,  no 
ruinous  and  gutted  Palatine.  It  still  remains  what 
it  always  was,  a  vision  of  architectural  beauties,  and 
a  scene  of  ever-renewed  enchantment.  You  do  not 
realise  that  there  ever  has  been  any  abandonment 
of  their  splendid  courts  and  corridors.  The  Moors 
surely  have  only  gone  out  for  the  day.  And  so 
you  go,  onward,  spellbound  from  Court  to  Corridor 
— Courts  of  "Lions,"  "  Abencerrages,"  "Ambassa- 
dors," "  Mezquitas,"  apartments  of  Princesses  and 
Sultanas,  bowers  and  boudoirs  ;  bewildering  oriels 
and  balconies  ;  baths  and  latticed  nooks,  and  niches, 
and  alcoves,  for  solitude  and  meditation  ;  glimpses 
of  lovely  gardens,  or  views  of  valley  and  mountain  ; 
sounds  of  gurgling  waters,  and  plashing  fountains  ; 
and  each  chamber  seeming  more  magical  and  more 
entrancing  than  another. 

And  it  is  not  only  the  freshness  and  vividness  of 
colour   and  decoration    throughout    the    Alhambra 


254  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

that  give  a  perpetual  youth  to  its  really  venerable 
walls.     It  is  also  that  we  are  placed  upon  the  same 
standpoint  as  that  of  the  founders  and  architects,  by 
reading  the  very  criticisms  and  opinions  of  contem- 
porary poets,  upon  the  beauties  of  the  building,  and 
which  are  inscribed  upon  certain  alcoves  and  door- 
ways, medallions  and  fountains.     These  very  poeti- 
cal observations  are  couched  in  the  highly  ornate 
style  peculiar  to  Eastern  Poets,  and  are  perfectly  in 
keeping  with  the  romantically  beautiful  architectural 
effects  to  which  these  poets  have  drawn  the  atten- 
tion.     But  what  an  original  idea,  that  of  inscribing 
upon  the  walls  of  a  Building,  the  opinions  of  con- 
temporary poets  upon  the  artistic  details  !     Some  of 
the  inscriptions  r  round  the  basin  of  the  Fountain  in 
the  "  Court  of  Lions  "  runs  thus  :  "  Blessed  be  he 
who  gave  the  Imam  Mohammed  a  mansion  which 
in  beauty  exceeds  all  other  mansions.  .  .  .   Look  at 
this  solid  mass  of  pearl  glistening  all  around.  .  .  . 
For  what  else    is  this   Fountain,   but  a  beneficent 
cloud  pouring  out    its  abundant  supplies  over  the 
Lions   underneath   like   the  hands   of  the   Khalif, 
when  he  rises  in  the  morning  to  distribute  plentiful 
rewards  amongr  his    soldiers,  the   Lions    of  War  ? 
Oh !    thou   who   beholdest    these    Lions  crouching, 
fear  not :    life  is  wanting  to  enable  them  to  show 
their  fury,"  etc.     One  is  amused  by  the  spectator 
being  entreated  not  to  give  way  to  fear ;  that  the 
Lions   are    really  not  savage  beasts   at   all !     The 
mind  is  carried   back   to   the    delightful    burlesque 

1  It  should  be  here  observed  that  all  the   inscriptions   here 
quoted  are  from  the  vivid  renderings  of  the  eminent  Mr.  Ford. 


THE  ALHAMBRA  255 

of  "  Pyramus  and  Thisbe,"  interpolated  in  the 
"  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  where  the  ladies 
are  reassured  by  the  Lion  declaring  himself  to  be 
only  Snug  the  Joiner.  As  is  well  known,  the 
Koran  prohibited  the  Faithful  from  the  represen- 
tation of  graven  images  of  living  things.  If  here 
the  Artist  seems  at  first  sight  to  have  departed 
from  that  commandment,  he  might  well  have 
pleaded  that  he  had  made  these  lions  as  little  like 
real  lions  as  possible.  They  are  quite  guiltless  of 
being  at  all  leonine.  They  are  lions  as  quaintly 
conventional  as  anything  you  may  see  in  Verona 
or  Pisa.  Again,  in  the  lovely  Sala,  "  Las  dos  Her- 
manas  "  ("The  Two  Sisters") — so  called  from  the 
two  similar  slabs  of  marble  which  are  inserted  into 
the  pavement,  "an  apartment,"  says  Ford,  "un- 
equalled for  the  beauty,  and  symmetry  of  its 
ornaments  and  its  stalactite  roof,"  may  be  read 
the  following  glowing  lines,  none  too  laudatory  of 
the  exquisite  architecture  thereof:  "Look  atten- 
tively at  my  elegance,  and  reap  the  benefit  of  a 
commentary  on  decoration  ;  here  are  columns  orna- 
mented with  every  perfection,  and  the  beauty  of 
which  has  become  proverbial, — columns  which, 
when  struck  by  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  one 
might  fancy,  notwithstanding  their  colossal  dimen- 
sions, to  be  so  many  blocks  of  pearl.  Indeed,  we 
never  saw  a  palace  more  lofty  than  this  in  the 
exterior  ;  more  brilliantly  decorated  in  its  interior, 
or  having  more  extensive  apartments."  This  last 
remark  refers,  probably,  to  others  of  the  same  suite, 
which  have  been   destroyed  and    which    were    the 


256  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

private   rooms   of  the   Sultan.     There  is   an  upper 
storey  with  latticed  windows,  whence  the  ladies  of 
the  Harem  could  behold,  without  being  beheld,  all 
that  micrht  be  Qroine  on  below  of  festive  or  romantic. 
The  "storey "is  a  romance  in  itself.     Nor  should 
the  window  at  the  extremity  of  the  Sala  be  left 
unvisited,    for    it    commands    the     shaded    orange 
groves,  and  the  fountain  of  the  Patio  de  Lindaraja. 
Another  inscription  in  this  Boudoir  of  the  Sultana 
runs  thus :    "  Praise  to  God !    delicately   have   the 
fingers  of  the  Artist   embroidered    my    robe    after 
setting  the  jewels  of  my  diadem.     People  compare 
me  to  the  throne  of  a  Bride,  but  I  surpass  it  in  this, 
that  I  can  secure  the   felicity  of  those  who  possess 
me."     How  one  likes  the  pious  aspiration  beginning 
these   sentences  !     "  Exquisitely    lovely   dwellings, 
ease,   luxury,   refinement,   were  not  given   to   man 
only  for  his  selfish  enjoyment.     God  must  be  first 
praised  that  He  had  made  such  things  possible  to 
human     ingenuity."      The     Sala     just    noticed    is 
opposite  that  of  the  "  Sala  de  los  Abencerrages," 
where    Muly    Abul    Hassan    had    the   unfortunate 
Abencerrages  massacred.     It  is  one  of  the  Courts 
most   celebrated   for   its    wonderful    beauty.     The 
guides  will   not  point  out  the  blood-stains,   unless 
you  insist.     For  another  deed  of  blood, — if  not  for 
its  own  sake,    the    "  Mezquita "   must   be    visited. 
Here  Yusuf,  King  of  Granada,  was  stabbed.     It  is 
considered   as    being    the   oldest    portion    of    the 
Alhambra,  and  has  one   or  two  square  doors.     It 
was  transformed,   and  more   or  less    rebuilt  in  the 
Moorish  style,   during  the   reign  of  Charles,  as   a 


THE  ALHAMBRA  257 

Chapel.  Machuca,  Charles's  architect,  lived  in  this 
portion  of  the  Palace,  and  the  truly  lovely  garden 
which  you  can  look  at  from  the  windows  here  as 
well  as  from  the  Court  of  the  Ambassadors,  is 
named  after  Machuca.  Another  most  fascinating 
Chamber  is  that  called  the  "  Tocador  "  or  "  Mirador 
della  Reina,"  the  Queen's  Dressing-room.  It  is 
small,  but  it  is  a  gem  of  architecture.  One  can 
suppose  that  the  lady  who  had  the  privilege  of 
attiring  herself  in  this  exquisite  boudoir  would  never 
hurry  over  her  toilette.  Indeed,  she  would  be 
always  laying  aside  her  combs,  and  cosmetics,  in 
order  to  raze  at  the  beautiful  views  which  sur- 
rounded  her.  For  the  boudoir  is  surrounded  by 
one  of  the  most  lovely  colonnades  it  is  possible 
to  conceive,  and  through  each  of  the  horse-shoe 
arches  some  enchanting  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  discloses  itself.  There,  the  snowy  peaks 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada ;  and  there  the  Country 
Palace  of  the  Generalife,  embowered  in  groves 
and  gardens,  and  cypress-avenues.  And  through 
another  arch,  there  is  a  background  of  more  rugged 
hills,  and  through  another,  you  catch  glimpses  of 
gardens  and  towers  of  the  Alhambra  itself.  To 
complete  the  luxuriousness  of  this  delicious  room,  a 
portion  of  the  floor  is  perforated  in  order  to  admit 
a  current  of  perfumed  air  from  below.  Truly  a 
superfluity  of  Eastern  luxury,  worthy  of  Haroun-al- 
Raschid  himself,  or  of  Nero  in  his  Golden  House. 
Nor  are  the  Moorish  Baths,  called  "  El  Barlo  del 
Rey"  and  "  El  Bano  del  Principe,"  inferior  to  the 
"  Tocador,"   in    graceful   splendour   and    in    refine- 

17 


258  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

ment  of  taste.  Perhaps  the  most  exquisite  of  the 
chambers  devoted  to  purposes  of  the  kind,  is  that 
called  "  del  Riposo."  The  upper  portion  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  gallery.  The  light  is  here  subdued 
and  soft,  and  yet  the  colouring  and  the  decorations 
are  so  vivid,  that  you  seem  to  be  inside  of  a  prism, 
where  an  amethystine  hue  prevails.  The  pensive 
silence  of  the  room  steeps  your  senses  in  a  dream- 
ful languor.  It  is  a  place  where  a  "Lotos-eater" 
would  be  content  to  breathe  out  his  soul  into  a  kind 
of  Nirvana.  He  would  here  feel  that  all  the  rest 
of  the  world  were  idle  bustle,  mere  weariness  to  the 
flesh.  It  is  in  such  retreats  as  these,  that  the  spirit 
of  the  Alhambra  takes  full  possession  of  you.  More 
so,  I  think,  than  in  the  more  spacious  Courts. 
These  "creep  into  the  study  of  imagination"  more 
potently.  You  think  of  them  afterwards  with  even 
greater  delight. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  just  before  the 
Mussulman  Power  was  being  crushed  in  Spain 
by  the  capture  of  Granada  in  1492,  another  of  the 
heads  of  the  Hydra  should  have  reared  itself  so 
fatally  over  the  East  of  Europe  by  the  capture 
of  Constantinople  in   1453. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


THE    ALHAMBRA 

Ecstatic  writing  unavoidable — Moors,  flawlessly  perfect — Risk 
of  forgetting  more  modern  figures — Charles  V's  Honey- 
moon here — Remark  on  Boabdil  by  him — His  Renaissance 
Palace  never  roofed — His  Gallery  in  the  Tocador — Devote  a 
day  to  marking  well  Alhambra  bulwarks— Towers  of  the 
"  Cautiva  Isabella,"  and  "  Dos  Infantas  " — The  Alhambra, 
as  Fortress — Dimensions — Torres  Bernue  first  fortified — 
"  Al  Hamra,"  or  "  Enclosure  of  the  Red  "—The  Palace 
proper — Torre  de  la  Vela,  or  "  Watch-tower  " — Vega  from 
thence — Soto  de  Roma — Iron-Duke's  property — Santa  Fe — 
Mendoza's  Silver  Cross — Other  Towers — Another  Mezquita 
— A  Jewel — Sympathetic  Custodes — Convent  of  St.  Francis 
— Ferdinand  and  Isabella's  Coffins — Irving's  "  Tales  of  the 
Alhambra" — "Dazzling  white"  or  "colour"? — Torre  del 
Agua — Hill  of  the  Generalife — Torre  "  Siete  Suelos,"  again 
— El  Chico's  Monument  ! — His  last  request  to  Ferdinand — 
His  "  Via  Dolorosa  " — La  Cuesta  de  las  Lagrimas — "  El 
Ultimo  Suspiro  del  Moro" — The  Woman's  Last  Word — 
Belshazzar's  Doom — Kismet  and  Yasoul — The  Tower,  blown 
up  by  the  French  ! — Can  be  partially  explored — Torre  Gran 
Capitano — An  unforgettable  Walk — The  Generalife  Palace — 
A  purchase,  not  a  confiscation — An  annexe  to  Alhambra — 
An  enchanting  Residence — Present  proprietor,  an  absentee — 
Destruction    of  trees — Canals    and  Fountains — The  River 

259 


260  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

Darro — Courts  and  Colonnades — A  Portrait  Gallery,  apocry- 
phal—  Terraces  and  Hanging  Gardens — "La  Silla  del 
Moro." 

IT  is  difficult  when  writing  about  the  Alhambra, 
to  abstain  from  a  style  hyperbolical  or  ecstatic. 
You  seem  to  be  dipping  your  pen  in  the  rainbow- 
like tints  of  the  Moorish  artists.  You  are  always 
in  danger  of  overstepping  the  boundaries  that  divide 
prose  from  poetry.  It  would  be  a  relief  to  your 
soul  if  you  could  only,  as  Time  has  done,  pick  holes 
here  and  there ;  the  Moors  are  too  faultless,  too 
flawlessly  perfect,  and  you  cannot  do  so.  So,  you 
are  ever  protesting  too  much,  like  the  actress  in  the 
play  in  "  Hamlet."  You  are  in  danger  here,  too, 
of  forgetting  more  recent  personages  who  have 
strutted  their  brief  hour  upon  this  Moorish  stage. 
And  so  it  must  be  recalled  to  mind  that  above  the 
apartments,  just  referred  to,  there  is  another  suite 
of  rooms  that  Charles  V  had  modernised  for  his 
honeymoon  in  1526.  The  very  place  for  a  honey- 
moon, any  one  of  these  rooms  in  the  Alhambra, 
every  one  would  say. 

But  Charles  V,  or  his  wife,  found  them  all  too 
small  or  unadapted  for  a  residence,  I  suppose,  or 
why  should  they  ever  have  thought  it  necessary  to 
erect  a  Palace  here,  which,  however  fine  in  itself, 
is  quite  incongruous  and  out  of  keeping  with  the 
Alhambra.  And  the  more  inexplicable  as  Charles 
greatly  admired  the  Saracenic  style  of  architecture. 

"  Ill-fated  the  man,"  (he  is  said  to  have  observed 
in  the  Comares  Tower,)  "  who  lost  all  this  !  '  And 
he  was  extremely  annoyed  by  the  partial  destruc- 


THE   ALHAMBRA  261 

tion  of  the  Cordova  Mosque.  But  I  believe  that 
he  is  to  be  acquitted  from  the  charge  of  having 
destroyed  any  portion  of  the  Alhambra,  in  erecting 
his  Palace.  Its  erection  was  in  every  way  a  mis- 
take, for  after  eight  years  had  been  employed  in 
building,  it  was  abandoned,  and  has  never  been 
furnished  with  even  a  roof.  Among  other  handi- 
work of  Charles  V,  is  the  Gallery  in  the  "  Tocador  " 
quarter,  decorated  somewhat  in  the  Pompeiian  style  ; 
there  are  frescoes  and  medallions,  some  representing 
mythological  subjects,  and  some  the  campaigns  of 
Charles  in  Tunis  by  land  and  sea. 

The  views  of  Carthage,  as  it  then  existed,  are 
especially  noteworthy.  One  day  at  least,  ought  to 
be  devoted  to  going  round  the  bastions,  to  visiting 
all  the  Towers,  and  to  exploring  those  which  are 
to  be  opened  when  required.  Indeed,  two  of  the 
Towers  (those  of  the  "  Cautiva  Isabella,"  and  the 
"Dos  Infantas")  may  strike  some  people  as  more 
romantically  beautiful  than  any  other  portion  of  the 
Alhambra.  It  is  as  a  great  and  splendid  Fortress,  as 
much  as  a  lovely  Palace,  that  the  Alhambra  demands 
our  attention.  No  Fortress  in  Europe  can  com- 
pare with  it  either  in  beauty,  or  in  interest,  or  in 
antiquity.  It  is  to  Spain  much  what  the  Tower  of 
London  once  was  to  England. 

The  space  within  the  walls  is  roughly  about 
2,690  ft.  long  by  730  ft.  in  width.  The  walls  are 
30  ft.  in  height,  and  some  6  ft.  in  thickness.  It  is 
worth  noting  that  this  famous  Citadel  should  not 
have  been  the  first  work  upon  this  hill.  That  por- 
tion of  the  hill  which  directly  overlooks  the  City  of 


262  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

Granada,  known  as  the  "Torres  Bernuejas,"  was 
the  first  fortified  post,  and  was  certainly  in  existence 
in  the  9th  Century.  The  Alhambra  as  we  now 
see  it,  emphatically  called  the  "  Kassabah  Al- 
Hamra," — "the  enclosure  of  the  Red," — was  com- 
menced by  Habus  Ibn  Makesen  in  the  nth 
Century. 

The  fine  square  towers  which  rear  themselves 
above  the  curtains,  are,  generally,  in  good  pre- 
servation and  are  eleven  in  number.  The  Torre 
de  la  "Vela,"  the  "Watch-tower"  par  excellence, 
confronts  you  as  you  clear  the  Puerta  de  la 
Justicia, — well  styled  the  Watch-tower,  for  it 
commands  the  whole  country  of  the  Vega,  with 
all  its  varied  interchange  of  irrigated  plain 
and  glistening  river,  verdant  meads  and  rugged 
mountains. 

There  was  the  site  of  old  Illiberis,  where  Goths  and 
Vandals  possessed  a  town  before  Granada  existed, 
and  not  far  thence  were  the  woods  which  enclose  the 
Soto  de  Roma,  the  property  conferred  upon  our 
"Gran  Capitano " — Wellington.  There  is  Santa 
Fe,  a  mere  vestige  of  the  famous  town  built  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  during  their  long  operations 
against  the  Moors  of  Granada.  It  was  thence  that 
the  intrepid  Columbus  started  upon  his  momentous 
journey,  having  at  length  bent  to  his  will  the 
Spanish  Sovereigns.  From  hence  not  a  horse 
could  move,  nor  a  cavalcade  start  without  being 
perceived.  The  task  of  subduing  the  Moors,  ever 
upon  the  watch,  like  eagles  from  their  eyries,  might 
indeed  have  appeared  hopeless.     Upon  this  Tower, 


© 


IN 


8 
■2. 

o 

Si 


THE   ALHAMBRA  263 

when  the  Moors  did  at  length  surrender,  Mendoza 
planted  the  Silver  Cross  presented  to  him  by 
Sextus  IV. 

Next  comes  the  Torre  del  "  Homenage,"  (Eng.  : 
"  Homage,")  and  then  the  Torre  de  Comares, 
seemingly  the  loftiest  and  most  massive,  and  con- 
taining, or  commanding  some  of  the  most  exquisite 
apartments  of  the  Palace. 

Then  comes  the  Torre  de  los  "  Picos,"  com- 
mandinof  the  ravine  which  runs  round  the  Alhambra 
upon  the  north  and  the  Generalife  Palace.  You 
can  make  your  exit  here  by  the  Moorish  postern 
gate  below. 

This  Tower  is  pierced  by  one  or  two  beautiful 
windows.  The  French — (the  French  again  ! )  were 
designing,  for  some  reason — or  no  reason — to  blow 
up  this  Tower,  but  missed  their  fell  opportunity. 
In  the  vicinity  of  this  Tower  are  pretty  gardens 
and  detached  buildings,  once  the  residences  of 
courtiers  or  ladies, — "  Torres  de  las  Damas."  Hard 
by,  is  one  of  the  very  choicest  specimens  of  archi- 
tecture— a  little  Mezquita — perched  in  a  lovely  little 
garden  full  of  cypress  and  odorous  shrubs  and 
clipped  box-hedges.  Two  "  Moorish  "  lions  guard 
the  entrance.  They  are  more  terrible  of  aspect 
than  their  cousins  in  the  Court  of  Lions.  They 
came  here  from  the  Mint.  This  "  Mezquita  "  is  a 
gem  of  architecture  and  an  ideal  of  poetical  dream- 
fulness.  And  it  is  all  the  more  valuable  from  a 
religious  point  of  view,  as  the  Great  Mosque  that 
stood  near  has  disappeared.  A  particularly  nice 
couple  act  here  as  custodians.     It  was  agreeable  to 


264  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

hear  their  subdued  remarks,   and  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  society  of  a  sympathetic  traveller. 

Here  you  are  within  a  stone's-throw  of  the 
Convent  of  S.  Francesco,  founded  by  the  first 
Alcayde  of  the  Alhambra.  I  fear  that  he  must 
have  been  guilty  of  great  disrespect  to  the  Moorish 
artists  in  the  erection  of  his  building-. 

But  the  Convent  is  noteworthy  from  the  fact  that 
the  coffins  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  rested  here, 
whilst  their  splendid  tombs  in  the  Cathedral  were 
being  prepared  to  receive  them.  After  passing  the 
Torre  de  los  Picos,  we  arrive  at  a  portion  of  the 
wralls,  where  the  towers  seem  to  have  been  set  apart 
for  Princesses  or  Sultanas.  Three  Towers  in  suc- 
cession bear  the  names  respectively  "de  la  Cautiva 
Isabella,"  "de  la  Sultana,"  "  de  las  Infantas." 
What  historical  authority  gives  them  these  names  I 
know  not.  Legend  is  all  that  is  wanted  here,  and 
Washington  Irving  has  re-peopled  these  Towers 
for  us. 

The  retired  position  of  these  Towers  would  point 
them  out  as  specially  adapted  for  the  seclusion  in 
which  Moorish  ladies  were  placed.  But  never 
could  prisoners  have  found  their  confinement 
so  little  irksome,  or  prison-bars  so  gilded,  as  in 
these  beautiful  two-storied  palaces.  Nowhere  in 
the  Alhambra  could  they  have  enjoyed  more  en- 
trancing views,  not  only  of  the  Alhambra  itself, 
but  of  the  Generalife  Gardens  of  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
and  of  all  the  fine  and  varied  scenery  of  the  far- 
famed  Vega. 

The  architecture  is  fully  as  exquisite  as  in  any 


THE  ALHAMBRA  265 

other  part  of  the  Alhambra.  And  here,  strangely 
enough,  colour  has  been  almost  abandoned,  but  the 
ornamentation,  though  white,  is  quite  as  intricately 
beautiful,  and  increases  the  resemblance  to  lace. 
There  is,  too,  an  absence  of  Azulejos-tiling,  on 
walls  and  flooring-.  You  begin  now  to  think  that 
you  prefer  dazzling  whiteness  to  colouring,  however 
brilliant.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Washington 
Irving  has  made  the  "  Torre  de  las  Infantas  "  the 
scene  of  one  of  his  most  attractive  stories  ;  that  of 
the  "  Three  Princesses."  No  one  will  ever  compete 
with  Washington  Irving  in  resuscitating  the  Moorish 
past.  Certainly  he  had  unequalled  opportunities  for 
doing  so.  Who,  like  him,  can  ever  hope  to  occupy 
rooms  looking  into  the  garden  of  Lindaraja,  and  to 
live  amongst  the  denizens  of  his  own  day,  who 
really  believed  that  the  Moors  were  still  about  them 
in  a  sort  of  suspended  animation  ?  Who  can  ever 
hope  to  attend  a  banquet  in  the  beautiful  Tower  of 
11  Las  dos  Hermanas,"  and  to  adjourn  thereafter  to 
a  concert  in  the  Hall  of  the  Ambassadors?  And 
these  were  some  of  the  privileges  of  Washington 
Irving-. 

The  last  Tower  upon  this  side  of  the  walls,  which 
have  been  skirting  the  ravine  which  separates  the 
Alhambra  from  the  Hill  of  the  Generalife,  is  the 
Torre  del  Agua. 

As  its  name  imports,  it  is  connected  with  the 
water-supply.  An  aqueduct,  forming  a  most  pic- 
turesque arch  over  the  ravine,  joins  the  Hill  to  this 
Tower.  Hence,  until  you  reach  the  Torre  "  Siete 
Suelos,"    there    is    no    Tower   demanding   especial 


266  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

attention.  This  Tower  of  the  "  Seven  Stories  "  may- 
be regarded  as  a  monument  to  the  last  King  of 
Granada — an  indestructible  mausoleum  of  ruined 
greatness  and  a  sign-post  upon  the  path  of  exile. 
Hence  it  was  that  Boabdil  the  Unfortunate,  El  Re 
Chico,  "  Zogoybi,"  the  "  Luckless  One,"  emerged, 
upon  that  fateful  morning,  1492,  as  he  left  for  ever 
the  Throne  and  the  Palace  which  his  fathers  had 
occupied  for  some  five  hundred  years.  He  is  said 
to  have  made  a  last  request  to  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  that  none  should  ever  pass  through  the 
Sfate  aoain.  There  seems  no  reason  to  doubt  this 
story.  History  has  left  a  record  of  the  sorrowful 
road,  a  Via  Dolorosa  indeed,  traversed  by  the 
Man  of  Destiny  and  his  followers  upon  the  disas- 
trous morning. 

The  sad  cavalcade,  upon  issuing  forth  for  the  last 
time,  from  the  "  Torre  de  los  Siete  Suelos,"  pursued 
a  course  almost  due  south,  down  the  ravine,  where 
now  stands  the  Church  of  "  Los  Martyros."  Thence, 
passing  to  the  "  Puerta  de  los  mulinos,"  and  skirting 
the  City  upon  the  right,  they  found  themselves  upon 
the  River  Xenil.  Poor  Boabdil  had  every  reason  to 
avoid  the  City  no  longer  his.  Then  they  arrived  at 
a  mosque,  now  the  site  of  the  "  Hermitage  of  San 
Sebastian."  There,  so  it  is  recorded,  Boabdil  gave 
up  the  keys  of  his  beloved  City  to  King  Ferdinand. 
He  had  before  leaving  his  Palace  sent  his  Vizier 
Aben-Comixa  to  the  Puerta  de  la  Justicia  to  hand 
over  the  Fortress  of  the  Alhambra  to  Ferdinand's 
officers.  Having  gone  through  that  pathetic  cere- 
mony, Boabdil  passed  southwards  to  a  little  village 


THE   ALHAMBRA  267 

situated  upon  the  skirts  of  the  Alpuxarra  Mountains, 
amongst  some  bare  and  barren  spurs  thereof. 
There,  his  family,  who  had  preceded  him,  met 
him  upon  a  little  hill — "  La  Cuesta  de  las  Lagrimas," 
the  "  Hill  of  Tears,"  thence  for  ever  to  be  known  as 
such.  From  that  little  hill  Boabdil  took  his  last 
farewell  of  the  glorious  heritage  that  yesterday  had 
been  his.  "  El  Ultimo  Suspiro  del  Moro,"  "  You 
do  well,"  said  his  high-spirited  mother  Ayxa,  or,  as 
others  say,  his  wife,  "  to  weep  as  a  woman  over  that 
which  you  had  not  the  courage  to  defend." 

A  woman  has  always  the  last  word  ;  Boabdil  had 
the  last  sigh.  Nothing  in  history  has  been  more 
pathetic  than  that  exit  of  a  great  Race  from  the 
Kingdoms  won  by  heroic  deeds  and  preserved  by 
sleepless  vigilance  for  some  seven  hundred  years. 
The  sceptre  so  forcibly  wielded  for  centuries,  had  at 
length  passed  into  feeble  hands.  Belshazzar's  doom 
had  been  written  upon  the  Alhambra's  Walls. 
Mahomet's  once  invincible  dominion  was  no 
longer  to  give  the  law  in  Western  Europe. 
"Kismet"  was  the  conqueror. 

The  fateful  word  "  Yasoul  "  ("it  will  all  come  to 
an  end  ")  had  been  uttered,  and  had  extinguished 
the  Crescent. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  an  Hotel  should  have 
sprung  up  in  front  of  the  "  Torre  de  los  Siete 
Suelos."  But  you  can  explore  some  of  the 
"  Suelos "  still.  A  portion  of  the  winding  stair- 
case within  exists,  and  you  can  descend  to  a  floor 
beneath  the  present  level.  But  the  entrance-gate, 
which  still  exists,  is  not  to  be  negotiated.     It  has 


268  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

been  blocked  up  in  a  way  that  poor  Boabdil  did 
not  anticipate.  For  the  French  were  here  more 
fortunate  in  their  destructive  efforts  than  they  were 
at  the  "  Torre  de  los  Picos  "  ;  fragments  of  wall, 
and  huge  stones,  half  buried  beneath  pines  and 
pomegranate,  are  scattered  about,  a  picturesque 
scene  of  ruinous  confusion. 

There  is  another  Tower  beyond  this,  known  as 
that  of  the  "  Gran  Capitano."  It  is  inhabited  by 
some  of  the  fortunate  loafers  to  whom  so  many  of 
the  Alhambra  Towers  have  been  granted  as  resi- 
dences.  A  few  paces  further  on  you  come  in  sight 
again  of  Charles's  Palace, — and  you  have  completed 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  walks  that 
you  have  ever  undertaken. 

The  beautiful  country-villa  of  the  Generalife 
or  Garden  of  the  Architect,  was  purchased  by 
the  reigning  Sultan  in  the  14th  Century.  One 
is  glad  to  hear  of  purchase,  not  of  confiscation. 
It  has  already  become  a  very  familiar  object, 
as  we  have  been  regarding  it  from  Towers  and 
other  "coigns  of  vantage"  during  our  visits  to 
the  Alhambra.  It  seems  strange  that  the  Monarch 
should  have  felt  the  want  to  possess  another  Palace 
so  near  to  the  Alhambra,  from  which  it  is  separated 
only  by  a  narrow  ravine  which  skirts  it  on  the 
south.  For  it  is  scarcely  more  of  a  country  resi- 
dence than  the  Alhambra  itself.  I  suppose,  how- 
ever, that  the  Sultan  objected  to  being  overlooked 
by  a  subject.  And  he  was  right.  The  modern 
road,  whereon  the  Hotels  are  situated,  brings  you 
to  the  entrance  in  a  few  minutes.     It  is  an  enchant- 


THE  ALHAMBRA  269 

ing  residence,  although  the  present  possessor,  the 
Conte  Palavicini  of  Genoa,  does  not  appear  to  be 
in  love  with  it.  All  the  better,  therefore,  for  the 
foreigners,  who  are  permitted  access  thereto  every 
day. 

The  proprietor,  or  his  representative,  has  had 
but  little  respect  for  the  place,  for  havoc  has  been 
played  with  the  grand  cypress-trees,  which  have 
been  uprooted  or  cut  down  in  a  very  inexplicable 
manner.  The  most  famous  trees  disappeared  as 
lately  as  1896.  But  the  Palace  and  Gardens  still 
remain  worthy  of  Italy  itself,  with  the  added  charm 
of  Saracenic  Architecture  of  the  14th  Century; 
gardens  and  terraces,  abounding  with  flowers  and 
verdure,  trees,  shrubs,  peculiar  to  a  Southern  clime; 
avenues,  and  arbours,  and  bushy  groves,  canals 
and  fountains,  and  gushing  waters  ;  and  every- 
where the  joyous  and  ceaseless  piping  of  delighted 
birds. 

The  canals  and  fountains  are  fed  by  the  waters 
of  the  dashing  Darro,  which  disappears  into  yonder 
ravine,  until  you  again  discover  the  river  hurrying 
from  below  to  join  the  sister-river,  the  Xenil,  in  the 
Vega.  After  admiring  the  beautiful  courts  and 
colonnades  of  architecture  similar  to  the  Alhambra 
itself,  you  are  asked  to  inspect  a  small  collection 
of  portraits  (?)  of  Moorish  and  Spanish  notabilities. 
They  are  mostly  bad,  and  all,  I  should  suppose, 
quite  apocryphal  as  representations  from  life — 
El  Ray  Chico,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  El  Gran 
Capitano,  some  of  the  Philips  of  Spain,  &c.  Then 
you  will  climb  up  terraces,  and  hanging  gardens, 


270  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

with  more  hurrying  waters,  until  you  reach  the 
summit  of  the  hill  known  as  "  La  Silla  del  Moro," 
— "the  Moor's  seat, — a  point  always  made  for,  as 
much  for  the  sake  of  its  associations  as  for  the 
consummate  views  of  the  Alhambra,  Granada,  and 
the  whole  of  the  historic  country  spread  around. 
A  little  further  on  upon  the  hill  are  remains  of  what 
seems  to  have  been  a  fort. 


CHAPTER   XVII 


GRANADA 

City  of  Granada  an  appanage  of  the  Alhambra — Immense 
population  once — The  Albaycin  Suburb — Still  Moorish — 
Bridges  and  Arches — The  Elvira  Arch-tradition — Boabdil's 
"  shivered  Spear  " — El  Zogoybi  taken  prisoner — Recovers 
his  liberty — Albaycin  derived  from  Bayisin — A  second 
fortress — Old  Granada — S.  Nicola,  the  Simmit — Consum- 
mate views — Abode  of  Zitanas — Their  pursuits— Dancing- 
maidens — The  merits  of  Granada  Cathedral  over-rated  by  Fer- 
guson— Too  modern  aspect — Graeco-Roman  style — Fine 
Tombs — Ferdinand  and  Isabella — Huge  Rejas — Gothic 
Chapel,  refreshing  after  cold  Renaissance — Vigarny's  Statues 
of  the  Monarchs — Peralta's  Tomb  of  Juanaand  her  husband 
— Torrigiano's  blighted  hopes — Ferdinand's  remarriage — 
Contrast  with  Juana's  long  widowhood — Capilla  de  los 
Reyes — A  subject  worthy  of  a  Gibbon  or  a  Macaulay — 
Mementoes  of  the  Sovereigns — Portions  of  the  old  Mosque 
— Valiant  Act  of  Herman  del  Pulgar — His  reward — Ferdi- 
nand's Place  of  Burial — The  Effigies  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella — Those  of  Juana  and  Philip— Isabella's  last  direc- 
tions— Isabella  too  bigoted  to  be  "  Great " — Juana's  Pil- 
grimage to  Granada — The  opened  Coffin — Same  morbid 
craving  inherent  in  her  descendants— Henry  VII  sought  her 
hand — Vigarny's  Bassi-relievi  in  the  Capilla  de  los  Reyes 
— Kneeling    Effigies    of   Ferdinand   and    Isabella — Alonzo 

Caho's    Pictures    and    Sculptures — Bad   light — Velasquez's 

271 


272  SAUNTERINGS  IN   SPAIN 

Portrait  of  Carlo  at  Madrid — Philip  IV  made  him  a 
Canon  —  Remonstrance  and  reply — Carlo's  finest  Picture 
stolen  and  recovered — Torrigiano's  "  Charity  " — West  Door, 
a  Moorish  Cloister  —  Casa  del  Carbon  —  Washington 
Irving's  Inn — Grim  Abodes — "Civil"  Carboneros — The 
Chancelleria,  Plateresque  —  Barracks  —  An  old  Palace  — 
Granada  Streets  generally  dull — Shops  bad — Good  An- 
tiquities— Beauty  of  an  Antiquary's  Courtyard — "  Zok  " 
("Market"),  our  "Soke,"  at  Winchester,  e.g.— The  Ala- 
meda, "  Public  Garden  "  —  River  Xenil  —  Promenade — 
Carriage-folk  —  White  Mantillas  —  "  Did  Zara  drop  her 
ear-rings  here?" — Dappled  Waters — Gold  in  the  Darro 
River  ? — Sources  of  the  Xenil — The  one  Glacier  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada — Granada, "  Pomegranate  "(?) — Phoenician  Karnattah 
— Excursions  from  Granada — The  Cartuja — Hovering  Mendi- 
cants— The  Cartuja-Convent — A  monument  of  "  bad  taste  " 
— Rich  decoration  in  the  Chapel — Fine  Spanish  Marbles — 
General  neglect  of  Spanish  Marble — Alonzo  Carlo's  Ma- 
donna— Cloisters  and  Frescoes — Carthusians  martyred  by 
Henry  VIII  (?) — An  irate  Custode — Author  suspected  of 
being  an  accomplice  of  Henry  VIII — The  Mad-house  or 
Hospital  de  Locos — Plateresque  style — Ferdinand,  Isabella, 
and  Juana — Plaza  del  Triunfo,  once  the  execution-ground — 
Then  a  Bull-ring — Hospital  S.  Geronimo — S.  Juan  de  Dios 
— A  Lunatic  (?)  confined  in  Cage — Convent  of  S.  Geronimo — 
Its  chequered  history — "  El  Gran  Capitano  "  here  interred — 
A  Corpus  Christi  Procession  again — Preponderance  of  Chil- 
dren— Shadows  and  Shades — Glamour  of  the  Old  Race — 
Unseasonable  reflections — "  Hasta  la  Vista,"  to  Alhambra, 
and  to  Rey  Chico. 

TH  E  City  of  Granada  suffers  from  her  position. 
She  seems  to  be  a  poor  though  proud  rela- 
tive of  the  Alhambra,  an  appanage  merely. 

"If  not  the  Rose  herself,  I  have  always  lived 
beneath  her  shade,"  she  seems  to  say.  No  doubt 
in  Moorish  times,  when  she  boasted  of  400,000 
inhabitants,  with  mosques,  and  palaces,  and  forts  in 


GRANADA  273 

proportion,  she  must  have  made  a  much  more 
impressive  figure  than  with  her  population  of  to- 
day, shrunken  to  75,000,  and  with  houses  generally 
modern  and  prosaic.  Yet,  if  it  were  not  for  that 
overpowering  Alhambra  above  her,  she  might  be 
giving  herself  Moorish  airs.  For  one  of  her 
suburbs,  that  of  the  Albaycin  Quarter,  climbing 
up  the  hill  to  the  west  of  the  Alhambra,  separated 
therefrom  by  the  brawling  Darro,  is  still  half- 
Moorish  in  population  and  architectural  features. 
Houses  hang  over  the  river  quite  Moorish  in  archi- 
tecture, and  there  are  bridges,  and  arches,  without 
doubt  of  the  same  work.  The  Elvira  Arch,  too, 
whence  the  road  from  this  Quarter  passes  into  the 
country  beyond,  to  the  old  town  and  mountain-pass 
of  Elvira,  is  Saracenic,  though  terribly  disfigured 
by  Spanish  restorations.  A  Moorish  tradition  in 
connection  with  this  gate  has  been  handed  down. 
When  Boabdil  upon  one  occasion  had  been  worked 
up  to  go  forth  and  fight  the  ever-advancing 
Spaniards,  his  lance  struck  against  the  archway 
and  was  shivered  by  the  contact.  His  mother, 
Ayxa,  and  his  newly-married  wife,  Morayma,  who 
had  been  watching  his  departure,  wept  over  the 
ill  omen.  Their  fears  were  justified.  "  El  Zo- 
goybi,"  the  "  ill-starred  one,"  was  taken  prisoner 
in  the  ensuing  battle,  and  his  grim  old  father, 
whom  Boabdil  had  displaced,  returned  for  a  while 
to  his  Alhambra-throne. 

The  Albaycin  ("  Bayisin  ")  was  assigned  to  fugi- 
tives from  Baeza  in  the  13th  Century,  when  their 
town  had  been  captured  by  Spaniards.     Hence  its 

18 


274  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

name.  It  may  now  be  termed  "Old  Granada." 
Its  great  height,  nearly  as  elevated  as  the  Alhambra 
hill,  suggested  itself  as  a  second  fortress.  It  has 
been  surrounded  by  walls  and  forts  of  different 
epochs,  many  remains  of  which  are  interesting  to 
trace,  and  picturesque  to  draw. 

As  has  been  suggested,  it  is  the  only  beauti- 
ful portion  of  the  City.  Certainly  the  views  of  the 
Alhambra,  backed  by  the  Sierra  Nevada,  from 
this  Albaycin  Quarter,  and  notably  from  the  Church 
of  S.  Nicola,  its  highest  point,  are  quite  stupen- 
dous. You  are  here  pursued  by  gipsy-women.  For 
this  Quarter  has  long  been  the  abode  of  gipsies, 
no  doubt  of  Moorish  blood.  They  offer  you  all 
kinds  of  little  brass  toys,  and  are  importunate  to 
tell  your  fortunes.  The  little  girls,  too,  are  amus- 
ing. They  break  into  dances  about  you,  snapping 
their  fingers  like  castanets,  and  swaying  about  their 
lithe  little  bodies  with  indescribably  supple  move- 
ments, the  secrets  of  which  they  have  inherited 
from  their  long-ago  Saracen  progenitresses.  This 
Quarter  is  the  portion  of  Granada,  that  after 
the  Alhambra  itself,  you  will  most  frequently  visit. 
I  think  that  Ferguson,  in  his  "  History  of  Archi- 
tecture," although  a  very  notable  authority,  is 
inclined  to  over-estimate  the  merits  of  the  Granada 
Cathedral. 

It  will  be  allowed  that  the  proportions  are  fine, 
that  it  is  very  large,  and  that  the  dome  is  more 
impressive  than  cupolas  in  Spanish  architecture 
are  in  general.  But,  owing  chiefly,  perhaps,  to  the 
avalanche  of  whitewash  that  has  descended  upon 


GRANADA  275 

the  building,  within  and  without,  the  Cathedral 
presents  a  painfully  modern  appearance.  It  is  a 
1 6th  Century  edifice,  built  in  what  is  called  the 
Graeco-Roman  style,  when  the  Gothic  style  was 
being  supplanted  by  the  Renaissance.  There  are 
some  fine  things  to  be  seen  in  the  way  of  pictures, 
statues,  effigies,  monuments,  and  tombs,  and  the 
iron  work  of  the  "  Rejas  "  is  often  superb.  The 
splendid  Tombs  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  are 
notably  the  objects  towards  which  the  wandering 
footsteps  of  tourists  are  directed. 

These  monuments  of  departed  greatness  are 
enclosed  in  the  Capilla  Real  or  "  de  los  Reyes," 
by  the  hugest  and  highest  of  "  Rejas  " — an  immense 
girdle  of  iron  and  gilt  work  wrought  by  Maestre 
Bartolome. 

The  Chapel  itself  is  in  the  Gothic  style,  thus 
rescuing  the  Cathedral  from  the  imputation  of  being 
wholly  given  over  to  the  new  and  cold  architecture 
of  the  Renaissance.  The  sepulchres  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  and  their  fine  recumbent  statues  are 
by  Vigarny,  a  Spaniard  ;  those  of  their  daughter 
Juana,  and  her  husband  Philip  "the  Handsome"  of 
Burgundy,  and  their  effigies  are  by  Peralta.  The 
rival  claims  for  excellence  are  difficult  to  decide. 
They  are  both  very  splendid,  both  in  the  full-length 
figures  and  in  the  very  ornate  execution  of  the  bassi- 
relievi  which  surround  them. 

Torrigiano,  who  made  himself  a  great  name  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  is  said  to  have  come  to  Spain 
expressly,  with  hopes  of  being  employed  in  the 
execution  of  the  Tombs  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 


276  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Their  grandson,  Charles  V,  however,  entrusted  the 
work  to  Vigarny.  Ferdinand  survived  Isabella 
only  about  twelve  years,  and  very  unnecessarily 
remarried.  But  poor  Juana  struggled  through  an 
unhappy  existence,  always  half  demented  from  the 
loss  of  her  passionately  adored  husband,  for  some 
forty-nine  years  after  his  decease.  In  fact,  she  died 
in  the  same  year  as  her  famous  son,  Charles  V. 

It  is  indeed  a  solemn  and  a  sacred  shrine,  this 
Capilla  de  los  Reyes,  filled  to  overflowing  with 
great  associations  and  immortal  memories,  and 
where  an  imperishable  chapter  by  some  Gibbon  or 
Macaulay  of  the  future  has  yet  to  be  written. 

The  Chapel  is  full  of  records  of  the  past  and  of 
relics  connected  with  the  Capture  of  Granada,  each 
of  which  serves  to  bring  the  old  Moorish  epoch 
very  near  to  our  own ;  e.g.,  the  Royal  standards 
that  floated  over  the  victorious  army ;  King 
Ferdinand's  sword  which  he  wielded  over  the 
conquered  City;  the  Queen's  own  missal,  and  a 
chasuble  embroidered  by  her  own  hands  ;  a 
sceptre,  a  crown;  authentic  portraits  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  and  their  effigies  in  marble  and 
wood. 

A  dark  passage  connects  this  Chapel  with  the 
Sagrario  which  was  the  original  Mosque,  and 
especially  famous  for  the  daring  deed  of  Herman 
del  Pulgar,  who  during  the  siege  of  Granada  rode 
in  and  affixed  a  taper  and  an  "Ave  Maria"  upon 
its  doors. 

In  reward  of  his  pious  daring,  he  was  buried  here, 
and  before  his  death  had  the  privilege  of  a  special 


GRANADA  277 

seat  in  the  Coro.  There  is  a  picture  here  repre- 
senting the  Knight's  doughty  deed. 

In  the  vault  beneath  the  Chapel  and  their 
effigies,  rest  the  bodies  of  the  great  King  and 
Queen,  and  of  their  unhappy  daughter  and  her 
husband. 

Isabella  died  near  Valladolid.  Her  body  was 
transported  to  Granada  by  her  own  desire.  She 
had  in  her  will  expressed  two  paramount  wishes ; 
one  was  that  she  should  be  buried  at  Granada,  the 
crowning  scene  of  her  glory ;  the  other,  that 
Gibraltar  should  never  be  relinquished. 

Isabella  had  some  very  great  qualities,  but  she 
was  not  oreat  enough  to  resist  the  baneful  influence 
of  Torquemada.  The  extirpation  of  heresy,  whether 
Jewish,  Moorish,  or  Christian,  was  her  ruling 
passion,  overshadowing  fine  qualities  of  both  head 
and  heart,  and  one  that  became  hereditary  in  the 
Royal  House.  It  has  been  said  that  Gloucester, 
afterwards  Richard  III,  had  been  a  suitor  for  her 
hand. 

Philip's  body  had  to  make  a  still  longer  journey  to 
this  vault.  He  died  at  Burgos,  aged  only  twenty- 
eight.  His  distraught  widow  determined  person- 
ally to  conduct  his  corpse  to  Granada.  To  make 
the  long  drawn-out  ceremony  still  more  gloomily 
impressive,  she  would  only  travel  by  night.  Three 
months  after  her  husband's  death  she  had  his  coffin 
opened  in  order  to  gaze  at  the  remains  of  one  who 
had  been  known  as  "  Philip  the  Handsome."  She 
thus  seems  to  have  been  the  first  of  the  Royal  House 
to  develop  that  morbid  craving  for  contemplating 


278  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

the  dead  which  afterwards  became  so  strongly 
marked  a  characteristic  of  her  descendants.  She 
seems  never  to  have  desired  to  remarry,  during  her 
long  widowhood,  although  Henry  VII  is  supposed 
to  have  made  her  an  offer  of  marriage.  That  saga- 
cious  Monarch  was  probably  desirous  of  becoming 
King  Consort  of  Castile. 

The  Retablo  of  the  Capilla  "  de  los  Reyes," 
is  famous  for  some  very  quaintly-remarkable  bas- 
reliefs  by  Vigarny.  It  contains  a  history  in  marble 
of  the  Surrender  of  Granada.  For  a  complete 
chronicle  of  the  great  event,  for  portraiture  of  the 
personages  concerned,  both  Christian  and  Moors, 
and  for  details  of  the  costumes  of  the  day,  these 
bas-reliefs  speak  more  eloquently  than  a  volume  of 
history.  On  each  side  of  the  High  Altar  are 
kneeling  effigies  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  It 
is  a  pity  that  the  light  for  the  proper  appreciation 
of  the  pictures  here,  especially  those  of  Alonzo 
Cano,  should  be  so  defective. 

Alonzo  Cano  is  nowhere  else  to  be  seen  in  such 
force  as  in  the  Cathedral  of  his  native  City.  I 
always  regard  him  as  the  most  attractive  artist  of 
the  day.  Not  to  be  compared  with  Velasquez  or 
Murillo,  of  course,  but  bearing  somewhat  of  the 
same  relations  to  those  great  men  that  Palma  bore 
to  Titian  or  Parmegiano  to  Correggio. 

He  was  a  fine  sculptor  also.  Perhaps  the  reader 
may  remember  a  portrait  of  him  in  the  Madrid 
Gallery  by  Velasquez,  and  also  a  remark  made  by 
Philip  IV,  when  remonstrated  with  by  the  Chapter 
of  the  Cathedral  for  having  made  Cano  a  Canon 


GRANADA  279 

thereof:  "  God  alone  can  make  an  Alonzo  Cano  !  " 
He  lies  buried  in  this  Cathedral  which  so  many  of 
his  works  with  brush  and  chisel  adorn.  There  are 
seven  great  pictures  of  his,  representing  the  chief 
events  in  the  Life  of  the  Virgin,  in  that  Chapel 
sacred  to  her.  Above  the  High  Altar  are  two  large 
Heads  of  Adam  and  Eve,  carved  and  painted  by 
Cano. 

Another  great  carving  of  his,  "The  Virgin  and 
Child,"  is  now  in  the  Sacristia.  Two  other  carvings 
by  him,  in  the  Capilla  "de  la  Vergin  del  Carmen," 
are  the  life-size  heads  of  Saints  John  and  Paul. 
Another  work  of  his,  in  the  smaller  Sacristia,  is  a 
"  Concepcion."  In  the  Capilla  de  San  Miguel  is 
his  kneeling  "Virgin  de  la  Soledad,"  perhaps  his 
finest  work  here.  The  canvas  was  cut  out  of  its 
frame  a  few  years  ago.  Fortunately  the  thief  did 
not  escape  very  far  with  his  booty.  It  was  found, 
not  long  after,  in  a  house  in  the  Garrera  de  Darro 
in  the  Albaycin. 

Over  the  door  of  the  Sala  Capitular  is  a 
"  Charity  "  by  Torrigiano,  said  to  have  been  offered 
as  a  specimen  of  his  powers  when  he  came  to 
Granada  in  the  hope  of  being  employed  upon  the 
sepulchral  monuments  of  Ferdinand  and  his  Queen. 
Upon  leaving  the  Cathedral  by  the  west  door,  you 
come  upon  a  sort  of  Moorish  cloister.  The  arches 
have  been  filled  up  with  shops  and  modern  houses. 
Probably  it  formed  a  portion  of  the  Great  Mosque. 
As  a  genuine  Moorish  relic,  in  a  part  of  Granada 
where  so  little  of  such  architecture  is  to  be  seen, 
it   will,    one    hopes,    long    be    preserved.     In    the 


280  SAUNTERINGS   IN  SPAIN 

"  Zocatin,"  the  shopping  street, — the  "Zok" 
("Market"),  there  is,  however,  one  very  fine 
Moorish  Archway  still.  It  is  the  entrance  into  a 
most  picturesque  Courtyard,  known  as  the  "  Casa 
del  Carbon."  It  is  quite  a  Caravanserai  of  the 
Oriental  type,  and  has  been  an  Inn.  It  was,  I 
think,  to  this  very  hostelry  that  Washington  Irving 
was  conducted  by  his  too  civil  friend  the  Notary, 
some  seventy  years  ago,  as  affording  the  very  best 
accommodation  in  Granada.  Irving  describes  the 
scene  with  all  the  bonhomie  habitual  to  him,  and 
with  his  customary  picturesqueness  of  style. 

The  Court  is  now  the  abode  of  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men  and  women  of  humble  trades, — 
chiefly  Carboneros.  I  found  them  civil  enough, 
and  they  pressed  me  to  enter.  But  the  noise  and 
grimyness  of  their  abodes  rather  put  me  off  from 
exploring  this  scene  of  picturesque  untidyness. 

Apropos  of  "  Zok,"  the  Arabic  word  meaning 
"  Market," — referred  to  above.  It  is  curious  that 
the  word  has  been  preserved  in  English.  "Soke" 
is  still  a  term  in  England,  e.g.,  at  Winchester,  for 
a  market-place. 

For  those  in  search  of  fine  architecture,  other 
than  the  overmastering  Saracenic  of  the  Alhambra, 
there  are  some  pretty  facades  and  gateways  of  the 
15th  and  1 6th  Centuries.  One  of  the  best  speci- 
mens is  in  the  Plaza  Nueva,  where  ends,  or  com- 
mences, the  chief  street,  known  as  the  "  Zucatin." 

It  is  the  Chancelleria,  once  the  residence  of  the 
terrible  official  known  as  the  "  Captain-General." 
Balustraded,    and    "pepper-boxed,"     with     ornate 


GRANADA  281 

windows  surmounted  by  pediments,  it  belongs 
to  the  latter  years  of  the  16th  Century  when  the 
"elegant  exuberance"  of  the  Plateresque  style  was 
beginning  to  make  way  for  the  cold  formality  of 
the   Grseco-Roman. 

In  connection  with  this  building,  read  the  amus- 
ing story  of  the  "  Governor  and  the  Notary,"  in 
Washington  Irving's  Tales.  Some  of  the  troops 
occupy  a  picturesque  Churrigueresque  Palace,  near 
the  Public  Gardens,  and  the  Plaza  Campilla.  An 
ornamented  facade  here,  a  pretty  gateway  there, 
just  redeem  the  Granada  streets  from  the  charge 
of  being  monotonously  dull  and  uniform. 

The  shops  are  common  and  bad,  except  one  or 
two  of  the  Antiquaries, — where  I  saw  a  great  deal 
that  was  distinctly  good.  One  such  collection 
deserves  a  visit,  if  only  to  see  the  attractive 
beauty  of  the  owner's  house,  and  his  pillared  court- 
yard, "  Cura  Campo,"  "  Carrera  de  Darro,"  which 
part  of  Granada,  as  has  been  remarked,  is  in  the 
old  and  pretty  portion.  But  every  one  will  be 
glad  to  get  away  from  the  streets,  and  to  wander 
about  the  Alameda,  or  to  rest  in  the  charming 
Public  Gardens  upon  the  banks  of  the  historical 
Xenil,  with  canopies  of  great  white-blossomed 
"Bomba"  trees  overhead.  And  when  you  are 
tired  of  watching  the  gay  crowds,  who  here  make 
holiday  in  the  evenings,  and  you  have  finished 
admiring  the  pretty  horses  and  mules  and  the 
carriages  of  the  Senoritas,  who,  with  their  pretty 
soft  faces,  so  resemble  lumps  of  rahat  la  koum, 
even  to  the  powder  with  which  that  Turkish  sweet- 


282  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

meat  is  covered,  and  their  white  mantillas,  (it  is 
your  first  experience  probably  of  the  white  man- 
tillas) you  can  get  up  and  stroll  along  the  banks  of 
the  River.  And  now  you  find  yourself  once  more 
amonest  the  scenes  of  romantic  history.  You  may 
wonder  in  which  well  it  was  that  "Zara"  dropped 
her  ear-rings  {vide  Lockhart's  Spanish  Ballads),  or 
where  it  was  that  Abu-Abdillah  (Boabdil)  met 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,— and  by  which  path  it  was 
that  he  and  his  immemorially  sad  cavalcade  reached 
the  unforgettable  "  Cuesta  de  las  Lagrimas." 

You  may  look  into  the  dappled  waters,  and  half 
fancy,  that  as  in  some  magic  crystal,  Moorish  dusky 
faces  are  turned  up  to  yours,  and  that  you  have 
caught  a  gleam  of  a  falchion  or  the  flash  of  a  rejon ; 
and  perhaps  you  may  really  pick  up  a  piece  of 
Azulejos  and  treasure  it  thereafter  as  a  true  relic 
of  the  old  legendary  Moors. 

But  if  you  wish  for  gold  (and  who  does  not  ?), 
you  must  go  to  the  other  river,  the  Darro,  where, 
even  to  this  day,  the  Spanish  peasant  washes  a  few 
grains  out  of  its  sand. 

The  Xenil  has  its  source  in  a  glacier, — the  one 
glacier,  they  say,  which  the  Sierra  Nevada  can 
claim.  Its  waters,  when  swollen  by  the  melting 
snow,  are  not  in  request  for  drinking  purposes  by 
the  Granadites. 

Although  Granada  has  taken  the  pomegranate  as 
her  badge,  in  the  belief  that  the  City  was  so  named 
from  the  Roman  word  "  granatum, — it  seems  much 
more  probable,  that  Granada  is  only  a  corruption  of 
Karnattah,  her  Phoenician  name,  and  the  "  Kar"  as 


GRANADA  283 

also  in  the  case  of  Carthage,  merely  signifies  an 
"  eminence."  One  does  not  feel  very  eager  to 
make  excursions  out  of  Granada,  at  least  I  did 
not,  although  any  one  with  leisure  at  his  command 
would  gladly  go  over  some  of  the  villages  and 
ruinous  towns  to  the  west  of  Granada  to  study  the 
ousting  of  the  Moors  from  site  to  site  until  finally 
they  were  hemmed  in  and  overcome  in  their  ancient 
Capital. 

Those  also  who  have  proclivities  towards  geology 
and  botany  would  find  a  wide  field,  I  am  told,  in 
visits  to  the  Alpuxarros  and  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

And  I  was  also  told,  that  no  one  with  any  pre- 
tensions to  his  duties  as  a  tourist,  could  omit  taking 
into  the  sphere  of  his  operations  a  drive  to  the 
suppressed  Carthusian  Convent,  known  as  the 
"  Cartuja." 

It  is  only  an  excursion  of  an  hour,  over  an 
extremely  ill- kept  road,  to  the  west  of  Granada. 
All  the  beggars  of  the  district  apparently  make  it 
their  resort.  Never  did  I  see  such  an  ill-con- 
ditioned gathering  of  the  halt,  and  the  maimed, 
the  distorted,  and  the  bandaged  brotherhood, — 
like  a  swarm  of  vultures,  awaiting  the  coming-  of 
the  "forasteros." 

The  Convent  is  very  spacious,  with  its  Court  and 
Cloisters  and  Chapels,  and  is  a  striking  monument  of 
perfect  bad  taste.  I  was  nevertheless  glad  to  have 
gone  there,  if  only  to  see  the  lavish  expenditure  of 
tortoise-shell,  ivory,  mother-of-pearl,  and  marble 
displayed,  —  principally  upon  the  doors  of  the 
Chapel,    and    in     "  Comodas "    (cupboards)    of  the 


284  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

Sacristy.  Here  also,  I  had  my  first  sight  of  the 
beautiful  marbles  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Not  so 
much  of  the  rather  sad-coloured  brown  kind,  of 
which  the  Capilla  del  Sagramento  almost  wholly 
consists,  but  more  of  the  excessively  beautiful 
"splashed  "  white  and  brown  in  the  Sacristia.  This 
marble  has  the  appearance  of  very  white  frozen 
snow,  intermingled  with  large  streaks  of  earth,  of 
a  fine  brown  colour. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  Spaniards  avail 
themselves  so  little  of  their  native  productions  in 
marble. 

Even  the  Tombs  in  the  Granada  Cathedral  are 
of  Carrara  marble.  There  is  one  very  pretty 
Madonna  by  Alonzo  Carlo,  over  the  Altar.  For- 
merly, there  were  many  pictures  here  by  the  same 
artist,  but  they  were  swooped  upon  as  usual  by  the 
irrepressible  French  under  Sebastiani.  The  Cloisters 
contain  some  highly  sensational,  not  to  say  repulsive, 
frescoes  by  Fra  Cotan,  a  Carthusian  monk.  They 
purport  to  be  authentic  representations  of  martyred 
brother  Carthusians  in  England,  suffering  for  their 
faith,  by  command  of  Henry  VIII.  The  custode 
(a  very  grumpy  person),  who  was  vengefully 
pointing  out  these  mendacious  frescoes  to  me, 
glared  at  me  defiantly  when  I  ventured  to  suggest 
to  him  the  probability  of  their  being  fictitious. 
Shaking  his  keys  at  me,  as  though  he  had  reason  to 
suspect  me  of  being,  at  least,  an  accessory  after  the 
fact,  he  declared  them  to  be  as  authentic  as  the 
Gospel. 

I  assured  him  that  I  had  not  been  an  accomplice, 


GRANADA  285 

nor  even  a  contemporary,  of  Henry  VIII,  although 
one  of  the  wives  of  the  much-married  King  had 
been  a  kinswoman  of  mine.  I  refrained  from 
crushing  him  with  the  additional  information  that 
the  said  kinswoman  had  not  been  one  of  the  decapi- 
tated. For  I  knew,  that  either  he  would  have  shed 
scalding  tears  of  rage,  or,  (and  that  is  more  probable) 
that  he  would  have  crushed  me  with  the  information, 
(such  is  the  superficial  omniscience  of  the  spiteful) 
that  Henry  only  refrained  from  sending  her,  too,  to 
the  scaffold  because  she  had  died  in  child-birth  !  He 
was  quite  pleased  when  I  left  the  building,  and  shut 
the  door  with  a  bang,  as  much  as  to  say,  to  a  would- 
be  assassin  like  myself  never  should  ingress  be 
again  permitted.  No  creature  is  nicer  than  a  well- 
educated  Spaniard.  No  creature  can  make  himself 
more  disagreeable  than  a  Spaniard  who  is  not  well 
educated. 

Look  at  the  fine  Hospital  de  "los  Locos  "  (Mad- 
house) in  the  Plaza  del  Triunfo, — as  you  go  back. 
You  will  not  want  to  go  inside.  It  was  founded  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  finished  by  Charles  V. 
It  is  in  the  fine  "plateresque"  style.  Some  suppose 
that  Isabella  felt  especially  sympathetic  towards  the 
crazy,  both  her  mother,  and  Juana,  her  daughter, 
having  been  distraught. 

This  Plaza  was  once  the  place  for  the  execution 
of  criminals,  or  those  who  were  looked  upon  by  the 
laws  as  such.  Later  it  was  the  Bull-ring.  "  San 
Geronimo,"  and  the  Hospital  of  "  San  Juan  de 
Dios,"  are  two  other  buildings  that  should  be  seen. 
The  latter  Saint  was  a  miracle    of  goodness   and 


286  SAUNTBRINGS  IN  SPAIN 

charity.  He  was,  naturally,  in  Spain,  looked  upon 
as  a  madman,  and  shut  up  in  a  cage  accordingly. 
His  casre  is  shown.  The  Convent  of  S.  Geronimo 
is  still  splendid,  although  a  wreck  of  what  it  was 
and  of  what  it  was  intended  to  be.  It  first  fell  from 
its  pride  of  place  by  being  plundered  by  the  French. 
It  was,  and  should  have  been  still,  a  worthy  monu- 
ment to  "  El  Gran  Capitano,"  who  built  it,  and  whose 
ashes  are  supposed  to  rest  here  still.  It  has  been, 
and  is  now,  devoted  to  military  requirements,  in 
honour  possibly  of  the  Great  Soldier — Barracks, 
Arsenal,  Cavalry  Stables. 

The  great  whitewashed  arcades  of  the  Cathedral 
assume  a  less  garish  hue  in  the  evening,  when  a 
softer  and  more  genial  light  is  streaming  through 
some  of  the  fine  painted  windows.  It  was  at 
such  a  time  that  I  went  there  again  in  order  that 
I  might  haply  establish  some  kinder  relations 
between  ourselves.  I  was  rewarded  by  coming 
in  for  a  beautiful  procession. 

It  was  one  of  my  last  days  in  Granada,  and  when 
the  Corpus  Christi  Festival  was  verging  on  its 
conclusion.  The  seemingly  interminable  procession 
consisted  chiefly  of  children.  Upon  such  occasions 
children  are  more  than  usually  attractive.  They 
take  themselves  and  the  occasion  so  seriously,  with 
their  innocent  rivalry  one  of  the  other,  and  their 
pretty  efforts  to  keep  step  to  the  chanting,  and  to 
maintain  their  candles  alight  and  straight.  And  as 
their  chanting  and  the  hymns  of  the  priests  and 
acolytes  woke  up  the  echoes,  and  their  torches, 
through  the  gathering  gloom,  threw  here  and  there 


o 

s 

z 
o 
a 
a 
& 

x 

< 


o 


8 
5 


GRANADA  287 

weird  shadows  about  them,  I  strove  to  keep  my 
mind  directed  to  the  scene  and  to  its  suggestions. 
But  the  other  Shadows  and  Shades  would  not  have 
it  so,  and  seemed  to  command  that  I  should  evoke 
Abduls,  and  should  summon  Ahmids  and  Ishmaels 
from  their  long-  slumber  in  the  Alhambra  above. 
The  glamour  of  the  old  Race,  even  in  this  fane 
dedicated  to  a  creed  other  than  theirs,  is  too  potent 
to  be  resisted.  The  Saracens  rule  our  spirits  even 
from  the  urns  of  their  conquerors.  Our  sympathies 
are  always  with  the  Moors.  They  were  the 
stronger  Race,  and  they  went  down,  because 
of  their  own  dissensions,  because  they  failed 
to  present  an  united  front  in  presence  of  their 
foes.  They  seem  to  have  wrought  their  own  defeat, 
and  to  have  dealt  themselves  the  final  blow.  No 
one  can  say  that  the  Spaniards,  although  they 
could  boast  of  many  great  Capitano,  great  Kings 
and  Cardinals,  Saints  and  Poets  and  Artists,  were 
the  greater  Race. 

In  the  arts  of  war  and  peace,  in  science  and 
agriculture,  in  law  and  order,  the  Moors  were 
undoubtedly  far  greater.  Their  greatness,  their 
virtues,  their  knowledge,  were  always  in  excess  of 
their  rivals.  And  whatever  we  may  think  of  the 
creed  of  Mahomet,  when  we  recall  to  mind  the 
gloomy  superstition,  the  frightful  persecutions  of 
Jews,  Saracens  and  Heretics,  which  represented,  for 
the  Spaniards,  the  symbols  of  the  Gospel,  it  will 
scarcely  be  urged  that  in  practical  religion  the 
Spaniards  were  in  advance  of  the  Moors. 

It  is  almost   a  personal  pain  leaving   Granada. 


288  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

You  feel  more  sympathy  than  ever  for  poor  El  Rey 
Chico,  and  you  re-echo  his  immortal  "  Ultimo 
Suspiro,"  as  you  throw  your  last  glance  at  the 
hillock  where  it  was  breathed.  But  your  farewell 
to  the  Alhambra  is  very  gradual,  for  it  will  be 
long  before  those  pruud  Towers  fade  from  the  view. 
You  watch  them  recede,  as  you  have  watched 
some  stately  vessel  far  out  at  sea,  with  its  great 
burden  of  invaluable  lives  and  precious  freight, 
until  it  "sinks,  with  all  we  love" — perhaps, — 
"below  the  verge." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


RONDA 


Byron's  lines  on  Cintra  applied  to  the  Vega — "  The  Kashmir  "  of 
Spain — Verdancy  of  the   Vega,   thanks   to   the  Moors  ! — 
Fertility  and    Fighting — Archidona's    chalk  soil — Mountain 
scenes — Cork     Woods — Arrival     at    Ronda — An    English 
Country-town — Hotel  at  Station,  possible,  and    convenient 
— Modern  City  a  dead-level  of  whitewash — Old  City  unique 
— "  Make  for  the  ancient  Bridge  " The  "  Taja  "  chasm- 
Strongest  natural  fortress  of  Spain — Aldaguela's  Bridge — A 
monument  of  his  hapless  fate — Similar  destinies  of  Murillo 
and  Corenzio — Another  Bridge  above — The  Casa  Mandra- 
gon   and    Garden — An  architectural    gem — Coats    of  arms 
whitewashed.      Why? — Market-place;    Norman    Arcades — 
Tower     of     Ronda     Cathedral — Wood-carvings — Youthful 
Cicerones — Half  of  the  Building  the  old  Mosque  (?) — Very 
modern  aspect — Alcazar  in  the  Plaza — Present  occupation — 
Moorish  Towers — Calle  de  San  Pedro — Casa  del  Rey  Moro 
— A  Polyphemus — Ford's  story — Victims'  skulls  for  drinking- 
cups — Rock-hewn  Stairs,  to  River — "  Mina  del  Ronda  " — 
Moorish  remains  sparse — Prevalence  of  Moorish  blood — 
Alameda — The  Paseo  for  Populace  of  25,000  inhabitants — 
Longevity,  a  Proverb  in  Ronda — "  Chickens  "  at  eighty  ! — 
Grand  old  Men — An  inducement  to  live  here — Old  Testa- 
ment types — Drives  and  rides  innumerable — Roman  aque- 
duct, a  "  snare  " — Malaga  Road — An  abandoned  Posada — 
Good  Wine — Electric  Light  at  Ronda — River-power  utilised 
here — Flour  Mills,  old  and  new — Less  apparent  Poverty  in 
Spain  than  in  Italy — Beggars  more  restricted — Better  treat- 
ment of  animals — Cleaner  personal  habits. 

19  289 


290  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 


O 


CHRIST !  It  is  a  goodly  sight  to  see, 

What  Heaven  hath  done  for  this  delicious  land 

What  fruits  of  fragrance  blush  on  every  tree, 
What  goodly  prospects  o'er  the  hills  expand." 


Byron's  exclamation  over  the  beauties  of  Cintra 
are  more  than  applicable  to  the  Vega  over  which 
the  train  now  careers.  These  verdant  meads, — 
some  thirty  miles  in  length  and  twenty-five  in 
width,  sparkling  with  streams  and  irrigating  rills, 
bringing  forth  all  kinds  of  crops  and  fruits,  and 
delighting  all  the  senses, — might  be  termed  the 
Kashmir  of  Spain. 

All  that  Moore  has  written  of  the  Vale  of 
Kashmir,  might  be  re-echoed  here,  "  And,  O  !  if 
there  be  an  Elysium  on  earth  it  is  this,  it  is  this ! " 
There  is  nothing  in  Spain,  to  compare  with  it. 
And,  fruitful  and  productive  as  it  is  now,  it  must 
have  been  a  hundred  times  more  so  under  the 
enlightened  and  fostering  care  of  the  Moors,  who 
always  made  the  most  of  the  slightest  gifts  of 
Providence.  They  never  wearied  in  their  efforts 
to  get  the  fullest  profit  out  of  every  stream  and  to 
increase  it  a  hundredfold.  They  even  knew  how 
to  make  the  desert  blossom  like  a  rose.  It  can  be 
imagined  what  they  made  of  the  Vega.  Yet  the 
Vega  was  by  no  means  always  the  synonym  of 
peace  and  plenty.  These  streams  have  been  dyed 
with  blood,  and  countless  war-horses  have  quenched 


RONDA  291 

their  thirst  in  the  waters  of  the  Xenil  and  the 
Darro,  which  have  so  often  reflected  the  glittering 
arms  of  heroes  and  the  watch-fires  of  opposing 
hosts.  These  fields  have  too  often  been  fertilised 
with  blood.  Such  things,  let  us  hope,  are  of  the 
Past.  May  the  peacefulness  and  the  verdancy  of 
the  Vega  to-day  long  be  undisturbed  ! 

After  you  have  got  over  these  green  and  fertile 
plains,  the  scenery,  through  which  you  pass  on 
your  way  to  Ronda,  except  for  the  mountain  ranges 
which  adorn  the  distant  landscape,  becomes  less 
attractive,  though  the  cultivation  continues  to  be 
plentiful  enough  to  remind  you  that  you  are  still 
in  the  Garden  of  Spain.  At  Archidona  you  come 
upon  a  chalk  soil  and  a  range  of  fine  mountains 
setting  their  faces  south  and  west. 

Some  hours  before  you  reach  Ronda  you  are 
passing  along  and  through  the  cork  woods  of  an 
undulating  country  surrounded  by  bold  and  rocky 
mountains.  It  is  a  journey  of  eight  hours  from 
Granada  to  Ronda.  You  discover  nothing  of  the 
beauty  of  this  celebrated  City  from  the  Railway 
Station.  But  it  is  better  to  put  up  at  the  little  Hotel 
there,  which  affords  you  sufficient  comfort,  instead 
of  pitching  upon  some  other,  less  comfortable,  in  the 
modern  town  itself.  That  portion  of  the  City  con- 
sists of  a  perfectly  dead-level  of  whitewashed  houses, 
and  you  feel  entirely  disappointed  until  you  get  into 
the  real  old  City.  Almost  every  house  in  the 
former  portion  of  the  town  has  a  bow-window 
grille,  upon  the  ground-floor,  rather  resembling 
in  that  respect  some  of  the  old  country-towns  in 


292  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

England.  The  glare  of  all  these  whitewashed 
houses  is  very  trying  to  the  eyes  under  a  burning 
Southern  sun.  But  in  the  real  Ronda, — although 
not  ungarnished  with  liberal  whitewash,  an  artist 
would  spend  many  a  delightful  hour  in  its 
picturesque,  tortuous  old  streets  full  of  artistic  effects 
in  colour  and  varied  architecture.  You  have  only 
to  make  for  the  fine  one-arched  Bridge  over  the 
River  Gandiaro  to  take  in  instantaneously  the 
splendidly  romantic  position  of  the  City.  You  are 
hanging  over  a  huge  chasm,  called  the  "Taja," 
which  divides  the  two  towns.  Some  350  feet 
below  you  dashes  wildly  through  this  rent  the 
Gandiaro.  It  is  one  of  those  stupendous  scenes  to 
which  Turner  alone,  perhaps,  could  do  full  justice. 
It  seems  to  you  as  though  an  earthquake  had  rent 
the  two  towns  apart,  without,  however,  disturbing 
the  equilibrium  of  the  churches  and  castles  and 
other  buildings  of  either,  and  then  that  the 
convulsion  had  evoked  out  of  the  heights  the 
river  which  dashes  down  the  ravine  into  the  plains 
beyond. 

And  so  this  great  fissure  became  a  natural 
impregnable  barrier  around  the  Moorish  City, 
and  combined  with  the  precipices  that  surround 
it  made  Ronda  what  it  is,  the  strongest  natural 
fortress  in  Spain.  The  noble  bridge  itself  was 
thrown  over  this  chasm  in  1761,  and  was  the 
work  of  Jose  Martin  Aldeguela.  A  strangely 
cruel  destiny  has  made  it  not  only  the  triumphal 
arch  of  his  own  engineering  genius,  but  also  the 
monument  of  his    tragic    fate.     He  fell    from   the 


RONDA  293 

parapet  of  his  bridge  into  the  abyss  beneath.  One 
seems  to  hear  the  despairing  cry  of  the  poor  fellow 
as  he,  Icarus-like,  beheld  the  Shadow  of  the  Valley 
of  Death  beneath  him. 

In  that  brief  moment  of  his  fall  it  must  have 
seemed  to  him  as  though  he  had  been  dealt  a 
death-stroke  by  the  hand  of  his  own  offspring. 
One  thinks  of  other  artists  who  have  met  an  almost 
similar  fate  in  the  contemplation  of  their  master- 
pieces. Murillo  at  Cadiz  fell  from  his  platform 
when  painting,  and  died  from  his  injuries  at 
Seville. 

Belisario  Corenzio  also  tumbled  from  a  dizzy 
height  whilst  engaged  in  decorating  the  vaulted 
roof  of  San  Severino  at  Naples,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Nave  beneath. 

There  is  a  fine  Bridge,  higher  up,  of  some 
eighteen  small  arches,  as  picturesque  in  its  way  as 
this  arch  of  painful  memories.  Ronda  is  quite 
unsurpassed  in  Spain  for  romantic  and  extensive 
views  in  all  directions.  From  any  one  of  the 
buildings  which  gird  the  heights  and  precipices 
upon  which  the  City  is  built  your  eye  is  equally 
delighted. 

To  one  small  Palace,  the  Cassa  Mandragon,  you 
should  make  a  point  of  going,  if  only  for  the  views 
from  the  little  terrace.     You  have  as  a  foreground, 

o 

gardens  full  of  pomegranates,  lemons  and  myrtles, 
and  bright  flowers,  and  an  immense  sweep  of  plain 
and  valley  far  beneath  you,  (for  you  are  standing 
upon  a  precipitous  cliff)  with  glorious  mountains  of 


294  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

every  shape  and  size,  flung  around.  This  little 
Palace  should  also  be  seen  upon  its  own  account, 
for  it  is  an  architectural  gem  in  the  Moorish  style, 
with  pretty  pillared  arcades,  and  courts, — shining 
with  Azulejos.  The  Proprietor  does  not  live  here, 
is  always  absent,  I  should  think,  otherwise  he  would 
scarcely  have  permitted  his  fine  coats  of  arms  to  be 
whitewashed.  I  have  observed  shields  thus  treated 
in  other  parts  of  the  City.  Is  it  possible  that  the 
stains  upon  the  family  escutcheons  can  only  in 
this  way  be  expunged  ? 

The  graceful  Norman  Arcades  of  the  Market- 
place, (close  to  the  Bridge,)  although  of  a  fine 
stone,  have  also  been  whitewashed  nearly  out  of 
architectural  recognition.  The  pretty  Moorish 
Tower  of  the  Cathedral  has  been  spared  a  baptism 
of  this  kind,  and  so  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable 
features  in  the  City,  as  well  as  the  most  ornamental 
portion  of  the  Cathedral,  to  which  it  seems  to  stand 
as  Godfather. 

The  Cathedral,  inside,  has  little  to  boast  of, 
except  the  wood-carving  of  the  Choir. 

The  young  man  who  conducted  me  through  the 
building,  and  showed  it  off,  I  thought,  with  more 
pride  than  it  deserves,  desired  to  impress  me  with 
the  fact  (?)  that  exactly  one-half  of  it  had  been  the 
Moslem  Mosque.  If  so,  that  half  has  been  most 
successfully  transformed  into  the  likeness  of  the 
other  half,  which  is  admittedly  modern  of  the  most 
modern. 

The  Alcazar,  which  occupies  the  greater  portion 
of  the  rest  of  this  Plaza,  is  a  handsome  building, 


RONDA  295 

probably  of  the  17th  Century.  There  seems  now 
to  be  a  lack  of  magnates,  military  or  civil,  in 
Ronda,  for  most  of  the  rooms  are  closed,  and  others 
have  been  occupied  as  schools.  There  are  several 
Moorish  Towers,  besides  the  Campanile  of  the  Cathe- 
dral, still  standing.  The  principal  one,  in  the  Calle 
San  Pedro,  of  the  Casa  del  Rey  Moro  was,  it  is 
said,  built  in  1042,  by  Al  Motadhed,  the  Polyphemus 
of  these  parts,  if  the  records  have  not  belied  him. 
Ford,  at  least,  is  responsible  for  the  ghastly  story, 
that  not  only  did  he  drink  wine  in  defiance  of  his 
Prophets  behest,  but  that  he  quaffed  the  un- 
believer's beverage  in  jewelled  goblets,  formed 
out  of  the  skulls  of  the  unfortunate  men  whom  he 
had,  with  his  own  hands,  decapitated.  Hence  a 
staircase  hewn  out  of  the  rock  descends  to  the 
river  below,  for  the  service  of  those  slaves  who 
had  to  convey  its  waters  above. 

Water  was  required,  I  suppose,  for  the  ablutions, 
at  least,  of  this  bibulous  monster.  "  Mina  del 
Ronda,"  is  the  name  of  this  staircase. 

The  Moorish  remains  in  Ronda  are  not  as  con- 
spicuous as  those  in  many  other  Spanish  Cities. 
It  is  in  the  antique  appearance  generally  of  the  old 
City,  in  the  lineaments  of  the  inhabitants,  and  in 
the  black-robed,  black-hooded  women,  that  you 
see  the  prevalence  of  the  Moorish  type.  The 
Alameda,  the  public  garden,  is  remarkable  rather 
for  the  excessive  beauty  of  its  position,  perched, 
as  it  is,  upon  a  precipitous  cliff  some  1,000  feet 
above  the  plains  beneath,  than  for  any  botanical 
merits  of  its  own.     Apparently,  the  inhabitants  do 


296  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

not  cry  out  for  those  charms  in  the  way  of 
eardeninof,  to  which  we  are  so  accustomed  in 
most  cities  of  the  present  day.  But  it  is  the 
resort,  the  promenade,  the  Paseo  of  the  people  of 
Ronda,  who  number  over  25,000.  Ronda  has  one 
recommendation,  an  enormous  one,  if  true,  that 
longevity  here  has  passed  into  a  proverb — "  En 
Ronda  los  nombres  a  ochenta  son  pollones."  To  be 
quite  a  "  chicken"  at  eighty,  is  more  than  a  recom- 
mendation to  repair  to  Ronda.  What  numbers  of 
grand  old  men  the  City  must  harbour !  And  now  I 
think  of  it,  I  did  come  across  a  great  many  apparent 
patriarchs. 

But  appearances,  as  to  age,  are  very  deceptive  in 
Southern  climes.  Men  and  women  in  hot  climates 
are  disposed  to  avail  themselves  of  the  privileges 
of  age  upon  very  moderate  provocation  and  to 
retire  upon  their  reputation,  (without  pensions,  I 
fear,)  as  having  attained  an  Old  Testament  span  of 
years.  You  certainly  will  feel  the  air  inspiriting 
and  invigorating  even  in  June.  I  should  have 
liked  to  have  passed  all  June  here.  The  drives 
and  rides  are  infinite.  The  country  is  not  only 
lovely,  but  rejoices  your  heart  with  its  agricul- 
tural capabilities  encouraged  to  the  utmost.  A 
drive  along  the  Malaga  Road,  at  least,  will  prove 
that. 

I  chiefly  went  in  search  of  the  Roman  Aqueduct, 
of  which  guide-books  speak  too  encouragingly. 
The  remains  are  small  and  dwindling.  I  took  the 
opportunity  of  trying  to  find  some  of  the  excellent 
wine    upon    which    the   aforesaid    guides   so    often 


RONDA  297 

lavish  undeserved  encomiums.  Upon  this  occasion 
I  was  fortunate  to  discover  in  a  very  large,  though 
almost  deserted  Posada,  near  the  aqueduct  referred 
to,  some  really  good  light,  country  white  wine, 
which  gave  me  a  higher  opinion  of  the  Spanish 
grapes  than  I  had  hitherto  held.  Steeped  in 
mediaeval  twilight  as  Ronda  may  seem  at  first 
sight,  the  City  is  not  too  proud,  nor  too  ignorant, 
to  avail  herself  of  the  electric  light  of  to-day.  The 
river-power  has  been  utilised  to  illuminate  the 
town  as  well  as  to  turn  the  flour  mills,  of  which 
latter  service,  however,  the  Moors  long  ago  availed 
themselves  as  they  did  at  Toledo,  and  Cordova, 
and  elsewhere.  You  may  see  the  millers  far  below 
you,  when  you  are  upon  the  bridge,  still  making 
use  of  the  Moorish  mills. 

The  electric  light, — so  much  more   common   in 

Spain  and   Italy,   than   in  most  of  our  own  rather 

behind-the-times,  small  towns, — adds  immensely  to 

the  traveller's  comfort,    and   economises  his    time. 

You   are  able,    now,    to  stroll  about  at    night,    to 

extend   your   observations,    and    to    restudy   much 

that  you  may  have  only  glanced  at  by  day.     The 

Spaniards   are   generally    supposed   to    be   a    very 

impoverished  Race.     There  is  no  doubt  but  that 

their  want  of    enterprise  and   energy,  in   working 

and    taking    advantage    of    the    many   sources    of 

wealth  which  so  abound  in   this   fine  country,    has 

prevented,  and  still  does  prevent,  a  much  greater 

diffusion    of  wealth    and    comfort.      But   so    far   as 

a  tourist's  observation  may  justify  him  in  expressing 

an  opinion  upon  the  subject,   I   should  be   inclined 


298  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

to  think  that  there  is  much  less  poverty  in  Spain 
than  in  Italy.  That  may  arise  from  Spain  being 
less  densely  populated  than  Italy,  for  the  Italians 
are  certainly  more  industrious  than  the  Spaniards. 
We  hear  many  complaints,  too,  about  Spanish 
beggars,  but  in  that  respect  also,  I  think,  Spain 
has  the  advantage.  Certainly,  in  Church-porches 
and  in  similar  places,  the  Spanish  beggars  become 
a  great  nuisance  to  travellers.  But  in  such  spots 
they  seem  to  concentrate  themselves.  For  in 
the  streets  themselves,  they  do  not  appear  in 
anything  like  the  numbers  with  which  you  have 
to  struggle  in  Cities  like  Rome,  and  Naples,  for 
example. 

I  should  also  say  that  the  Spanish  lower  classes 
were  far  cleaner  in  themselves,  and  in  their  habits, 
than  the  Italians. 

In  another,  a  most  essential,  point,  the  superiority 
of  the  Spaniards  to  the  Italians  is  remarkably 
evinced.  That  is  their  care  of,  and  attention  to, 
their  animals.  I  have  never  seen  any  gross  cruelty 
to  horses,  mules,  or  donkeys.  And  I  really  believe 
that  a  Spaniard  would  stint  himself,  if  necessary,  so 
that  his  beast  should  not  want.  Hence  the  far 
superior  condition  of  animals  in  Spain.  In  Italy, 
upon  the  other  hand,  scarcely  a  day  passes,  but 
you  see  the  galled  jade  wincing  and  every  creature 
having  his  withers  cruelly  wrung ! — with  what 
cruel  reflex  action  upon  your  own  feelings,  every 
traveller  in   Italy  can  attest. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

ALGECIRAZ    AND    THE    ROCK 

Approach  the  "  Rock "  by  Algeciraz — Hopes  to  have  entered 
by  a  tunnel — Algeciraz  bristles  with  romance — Moorish 
"Green  Island  "—Alfonso  XV— Donizetti's  "  Favorita  "— 
Medina-Sidonia — Phoenician  "  Sidon  " — Guzman  Buenos — 
Algeciraz,  Moorish  Key  to  Spain— King  of  Spain,  emphati- 
cally King  of  Algeciraz — Ruins  of  Roman  Carteia 
("El  Rocadille  ")— "  Queen  Isabella's  Chair"— Fears  that 
"Seat"  may  unseat  us — Custom-house  at  Gibraltar — 
Gentle  treatment — How  unlike  Victoria  and  Charing  Cross — 
Rooke's  Rock — War  of  Spanish  Succession — Gibraltar, 
loved  of  British  Subalterns — Spirit  of  "  Rule,  Britannia  " — 
Eastern  appearance — Costumes — Moors  and  "Handy-men" 
— Tailless  Monkeys — Descendants  of  Solomon's  Apes  ? — 
Andalucia — Tarshish — Solomon  and  Queen  of  Sheba — 
Absence  of  "  native  "  gold — Gibraltar  fears  the  "  Levanter  " 
— Once  famous  for  unhealthiness — Plague  or  Drains? — 
Water-supply — Monkeys  "  clear  out "  when  the  Levanter 
blows — Hot  discussion  about  the  Moles — Experts—  Possible 
Spanish  Batteries — Leonine  Form  of  the  Rock — Kinglake's 
"  Eothen  " — A  Lion  Couchant — "  Watching  jealous  Navies 
from  his  lair  " — Britannia  rules  the  Waves  ! 

THE  shadow  of  the  Great  Rock,  "  Rooke's 
Rock,"  seems  to  assert  its  supremacy  over 
you  even  at  Ronda.  It  is  only  like  turning  a 
corner   suddenly   and   finding  yourself  in  the  arms 

299 


300  SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 

of  an  old  friend.  You  may  perhaps  have  been 
aroused  by  the  boom  of  its  multitudinous  guns 
long  ere  you  have  quitted  Spanish  soil.  So  you 
must  be  throwing  aside  fanciful  pieces  of  costume, 
Spanish  or  Moorish,  with  which  you  may  have 
supplied  the  deficiencies  of  a  dwindling  wardrobe, 
and  appear  wholly  in  the  garb  of  a  right-minded 
Briton.  Short  as  is  the  distance  from  Ronda  to 
British  soil, — it  is  much  magnified  by  having  to 
embark  at  Algeciraz,  for  half  an  hour's  trip  across 
the  Bay.  I  had  dreamily  pictured  to  myself,  a 
luxurious  drive  up  to  the  Rock,  diversified  by  an 
occasional  challenge  from  a  Khakied  British 
Sentry,  or  perhaps  passing  through  a  tunnel.  The 
latter  mode  would  be  such  a  convenience.  And 
one  tunnel  more  or  less  through  the  honeycombed 
old  Rock,  would  make  so  little  difference.  The 
nerves  of  the  leonine  eyrie  Fortress  would  not  be 
affected. 

For  miles  round  Algeciraz  the  country  bristles 
with  romance,  and  sparkles  with  knightly  traditions. 
The  Algeciraz  of  the  Moors  {their  name  for  it  was 
"Green  Island")  was  destroyed  by  Alfonso  XI. 
To  all  who  have  seen  Donizetti's  "  Favorita," 
Alfonso  is  a  familiar  figure.  For  Leonora  de  Guzman 
was  his  "  Favorita."  A  few  miles  distant  is  Medina- 
Sidonia,  a  place  that  has  given  a  title  to  her  de- 
scendants,— the  "  Guzman  Buenos,"  one  of  the 
greatest  Spanish  Patricians.  But  that  family  is  a 
mushroom  of  modernity  in  comparison  with  the 
origin  of  the  title.  The  Phoenician  emigrants  are 
declared  to  have  given  it  the  name  of  "  Sidon  "  in 


ALGECIRAZ  AND  THE  ROCK  301 

commemoration  of  the  City  whence  they  had  come. 
Algeciraz  was  the  Moorish  Key  to  Spain.  The 
King  of  Spain  is  emphatically  styled  "  King  of 
Algeciraz." 

Algeciraz  has  been  partly  formed  from  the  ruins 
of  Carteia  (now  known  as  "El  Rocadille,")  where 
the  Romans  had  a  colony,  and  before  them  the 
Phoenicians,  and  the  Greeks.  Before  fixing  your 
eyes  upon  the  Great  Rock  which  is  looming  nearer 
and  nearer  to  you,  cast  a  glance  at  the  commanding 
hill,  (almost  as  high  it  seemed  to  me  as  the  Rock 
itself,)  known  as  "  Queen  Isabella's  Chair." 

Some  of  the  more  nervous  amongst  us  predict 
that  that  seat,  unless  jealously  looked  after,  may 
unseat  us.  You  have  to  pass  through  a  Custom- 
house, when  you  descend  upon  the  British  Rock. 
A  not  very  formidable  ordeal,  for  the  authorities 
will  accept  your  parole  d'honneur  about  your  goods. 
If  only  they  would  do  as  much  in  those  highly 
civilised  bear-gardens,  known  as  Charing  Cross, 
and  Victoria ! 

And  this  Rock  was  Calpe, — the  European  Pillar 
of  Hercules,  as  Abyle,  (now  Ceuta)  was  the  African 
Pillar.  Then  "  Gebal-Tarik,"  from  its  Saracen 
Conqueror, — the  "  Hill  of  Tarik,"  a  Moorish  pos- 
session for  six  hundred  years,  then  Spanish,  thanks 
to  the  Guzmans  aforesaid.  The  Spaniards  held  it 
for  some  three  hundred  years.  The  great  Rooke 
captured  it  in  1704.  It  is  one  of  the  few  material 
guarantees  that  remain  to  us  for  our  sacrifices  in 
the  Spanish  War  of  Succession. 

It   is   a    monument   to    English   valour   at   least 


302 


SAUNTERINGS  IN  SPAIN 


during  the  long  and  barren  contests  of  the  Wars 
of  the  Spanish  Succession.  What  centuries  lie 
between  the  old  Moorish  Chief  and  the  British 
Admiral ! 

Now  it  is  "Gib."  tout  court  / '—the  "Gib."  loved 
of  British  middies,  and  subalterns,  whereto  they 
bring  all  their  sports,  and  pastimes  to  make  a 
British  holiday  lark, — hunting,  cricket,  rackets, 
races,  and  what  not!  And  yet  "Gib."  though 
suffused  with  British  spirits,  (and  others!)  and 
steeped,  too,  in  the  spirit  of  "  Rule,  Britannia," 
remains  one  of  the  most  Eastern-looking 
places. 

There  is  an  incessant  bustle  in  the  precipitous 
streets — a  perpetual  masquerade  of  Arab  and  Moors, 
in  caftans,  and  burnouses,  going  on  for  the 
benefit  especially  of  red-coated  and  white-helmeted 
"Tommies"  and  of  white-trousered,  straw-hatted 
"Jacks." 

During  your  visits  to  and  clamberings  up  of 
galleries,  and  batteries,  you  may,  possibly,  with  a 
good  pair  of  glasses,  discern  one  of  the  tailless 
monkeys,  of  which  "  Gib."  is  justly  proud.  You 
may,  if  you  have  proper  faith  in  the  tales  of  Biblical 
annotators,  welcome  them  as  descendants  of 
"  Solomon's  Apes,"  who  again,  of  course,  were 
also  descended  from  his  Ancestors,  and  your  own. 
For  this  is  Tarshish,  or  rather  Andalucia  was 
Tarshish,  (so  it  is  declared,)  and  supplied  King 
Solomon  with  gold,  silver,  ivory,  peacocks,  and 
apes. 

Yet   one  thinks  that  the  wisest  of  Kings  could 


ALGECIRAZ   AND  THE  ROCK  303 

have  procured  all  those  commodities  very  much 
nearer  home  and  at  a  much  more  reasonable  rate. 
The  Queen  of  Sheba,  for  instance,  who  certainly 
was  very  good  at  receiving  presents,  must  have 
had  plenty  of  spare  articles  of  the  kind  at  her 
disposal. 

Anyhow,  some  one  seems  to  have  drained 
"Tarshish"  quite  dry  of  the  gold.  For  the  always 
impoverished  Spaniards  seem  rarely  to  have  had 
anything  more  than  a  bowing  acquaintance  with  the 
most  precious  of  metals,  except  during  their  brief 
sway  of  the  New  World. 

And  in  "Gib."  itself,  British  sovereigns  have 
quite  ousted  whatever  may  be  or  may  have  been 
the  Spanish  equivalents,  such  as  "doblons,"  and 
"doblons  d'Isabel." 

Gibraltar,  in  spite  of  its  great  heat,  is  generally 
supposed  to  be  healthy.  But  "rock-fever"  can  be, 
though  not  often,  deadly,  as  well  as  disagreeable. 
It  is  most  to  be  feared  when  the  extremely  de- 
pressing Levanter  blows. 

That  wind  has  much  the  same  effect  upon  the 
nerves  as  the  Sirocco  in  Italy.  The  monkeys  even, 
are  affected  by  it,  and  change  their  spots  (unlike  the 
leopards)  to  get  out  of  its  path. 

But  it  must  be  noted  that  "Gib."  has  not  always 
enjoyed  a  reputation  for  healthiness.  In  the  early 
years  of  the  last  century,  a  malignant  and  most 
deadly  sickness  long  raged  upon  the  Rock.  Whether 
it  was  a  kind  of  plague  brought  over  from  Africa 
or  elsewhere,  or  whether  it  proceeded  from  the 
quality    of   the    water,    (and    the   latter  supposition 


304  SAUNTERINGS   IN   SPAIN 

seems  a  probable  explanation,)  cannot  be  deter- 
mined. As  there  has  been  no  return  of  this 
mysterious  epidemic,  since  the  water  supply  and 
the  drainage  question  have  been  dealt  with,  it  may 
be  assumed  that  it  had  its  source  both  in  the 
defective  quality  of  the  water  and  in  bad  drainage. 

The  Rock  nearly  faces  the  west.  Its  length 
from  north  to  south,  at  Europa  Point,  is  about  three 
miles.  It  is  about  1,430  feet  high  at  its  highest 
point.  There  has  been  much  hot  discussion  of  late 
years  about  the  Moles.  "  Experts,"  or  those  who 
consider  themselves  as  such,  wish  us  to  abandon 
the  Moles  upon  the  West  Bay,  as  being  liable  to 
destruction,  by  some  (as  yet  unconstructed)  Spanish 
Batteries.  These  "critics"  would  substitute  harbours 
upon  the  south-east  of  Europa  Point,  whereon  the 
whole  force  of  the  formidable  Levanter  discharges 
itself.  These  "  experts "  add,  that  the  south-west 
wind  encountered  by  the  present  Moles,  or  those  in 
construction,  is  fully  as  violent.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  those  who  have  lived  at  Gibraltar,  and  who 
have  studied  these  winds  and  currents  and  tides  for 
years,  may  be  permitted  to  decide  the  question. 

I  thought  it  rather  pleasing  amongst  other  aspects, 
physical  or  moral,  of  Gibraltar,  to  admire  the  leonine 
form  of  the  Rock, — a  British  Lion  in  form  as  in 
symbol.  The  words  of  "Eothen,"  when  in  con- 
templation of  the  Sphinx,  came  to  me  as  strangely 
appropriate.  That  page,  ("  Islam  "  having  been 
here  also,)  may  be,  with  but  little  change,  applied 
to  our  "  Rock." 

"And  we, — we  shall  die, — and  Islam  will  wither 


ALGECIRAZ   AND   THE   ROCK  305 

away, — and  the  Englishman,  leaning  far  over  to  hold 
his  loved  India,  will  plant  a  firm  foot  upon  the 
"Rock,"  and  sit  in  the  midst  of  the  Faithful,  and 
still  that  sleepless  '  Rock '  will  lie  watching  and 
watching." 

And,  as  I  said,  the  vast  and  massive  Rock 
resembles  a  Lion  couchant^ — regarding  from  his 
great  sea-lair,  all  that  pass  below  him  in  the  ocean 
beneath,  and  disregarding  with  majestic  unconcern 
the  jealous  Navies  that  seem  to  gnash  their  iron 
teeth  with  envy,  as  they  glance,  with  impotent 
rage,  upon  the  Rock  whence  Britannia  rules  the 
waves.  And  hence  she  means  to  rule  them  and 
here  to  hold  on  (with  God's  Providence)  so  long  as 
Land  and  Sea  jog  on  together. 


20 


REFERENCE-SKETCH     OF     EARLY     HISTORY 

OF    SPAIN 

Phoenicians,  occupying  the  South  of  Spain,  lived  800  B.C.,  or 

if  Andalucia  were   "Tarsish,"  as  has  been  supposed, 

long  before  the  above-mentioned  date,  Solomon's   era 

being  1015  B.C. 
Carthaginians  held  Southern  Spain  from  235-206,  during  the 

the  second  Punic  War,  Spain  generally  having  been  the 

base  of  Hannibal's  Invasion  of  Italy. 
Romans  in  Spain  up  to  412  a.d. 
Visigoths  conquered  Spain  412  a.d. 
Moors  defeat  Roderic,  the  last  of  the  Visigothic  kings,  with  the 

assistance    of  the  renegade   Count   Florestan,  at   the 

Battle  of  Gaudalete,  712  a.d. 

Moorish   Dynasties. 
The  Moorish  Dynasties  are  divided  into  four  periods : — 

The  First  Moorish  Period. 

The  first  extended  from  711  a.d.,  the  year  in  which  Tarik 
took  possession  of  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar,  to  756  a.d.  During 
this  period  their  Spanish  dominions  were  governed  by  Emirs 
deputed  by  the  Caliph  of  Damascus. 

The  Second  Moorish  Period. 

The  second  Moorish  period  extended  from  756  a.d.,  in  which 
year  Abd-al-Rahman  declared  his  independence  of  Damascus, 
till  1009  a.d.  Abd-al-Rahman  made  Cordova  his  capital,  and 
commenced  the  mosque  in  that  city.  During  this  second  period 
ten  Sultans  reigned. 

The  Third  Moorish  Period. 

The  third  period  extends  from  1009  to  1227  a.d.  It  is  marked 
by  the  internecine  dissensions  of  two  great  religious  factions — the 

307 


308  SPANISH   ARCHITECTURE 

Almoravides-Murabitins  and  the  Almohades.     The  latter  fanatics 

(founded  by  a  Mahdi,  "  Ibn-Abdullah  ")  eventually  got  the  upper 

hand. 

The  Fourth  Moorish  Period. 

The  fourth  period,  signalised  by  the  capture  of  the  great 
Moorish  capital,  Cordova  by  "Saint"  Ferdinand,  dates  from 
1235  to  1492  a.d.,  when  the  Moorish  dominion  was  put  an  end 
to  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  the  "  Catholic." 

Ibnu-1-Ahmar,  the  vassal  of  St.  Ferdinand,  had  founded  the 
last  dynasty,  that  of  Granada,  when  Cordova  had  fallen  in 
1235  A.D. 

It  is  to  be  noted,  as  regards  the  Moorish  dominion,  that 
although  the  Moors  had  been  supreme  in  Andalucia,  and  in  their 
superb  capitals  of  Toledo,  Cordova,  Seville,  and  Granada,  they 
never  possessed  themselves  of  the  entire  kingdom. 

Although  they  occupied  Portugal  and  foraged  far  and  wide 
to  the  north  and  west  as  far  as  Leon  and  Oviedo,  and  even 
established  themselves  for  a  time  in  Saragossa,  where  their  kings 
ruled  from  1014-1118  a.d.,  the  chief  seats  of  their  power  con- 
tinued to  be  in  Andalucia,  Toledo,  and  also  in  Valencia. 

Notwithstanding  the  overthrow  of  Roderic  at  Gaudalete  in 
712  a.d.,  small  Visigothic  dynasties  had  continued  to  rule  in 
Oviedo,  in  Leon,  and  in  the  Asturias.  Castile,  Aragon,  and 
Navarre  still  possessed  rulers  who  rarely  ceased  to  wage  war  upon 
the  Moors  and  to  resist  their  encroachments. 


EXPLANATION  OF  AND  DATES  OF  CERTAIN 
TERMS  USED  IN  SPANISH  ARCHITECTURE 

Plateresque.     An  "elegant  exuberance,"  circa  1490-1555. 

Gr,eco-Romano  Renaissance.  Prevalent  during  the  reigns  of 
Philip  II,  III,  and  IV.  Characteristics :  "  heavy  and 
pedantic,"  and  not  unsuitable  to  the  characters  of  those 
nionarchs. 

Churrigueresque,  generally  "  Baroque,"  chiefly  obtaining  dur- 
ing the  century  that  succeeded  a.d.  1650. 

UNWIN  BROTHERS,  LIMITED,  THE  GRESHA1!  PRESS,  WOKING  AND  LONDON. 


John  Chinaman  at  Home 

By  the   Rev.    E.    J.    HARDY, 

Author  of  "  How  to  be  Happy  though  Married " ;  lately  Chaplain 
to  H.M.  Forces  in  Hong  Kong. 

With  36  Illustrations.     Demy  8vo,  cloth,  10/6  net. 


CONTENTS. 

Hong  Kong ;  Tientsin  and  Peking ;  Canton ;  On  the 
West  River  ;  Swatow,  Amoy,  Foochow ;  Up  the  Yangtze  ; 
Village  Life ;  Topsy-turvy ;  Some  Chinese  Characteristics  ; 
Chinese  Food ;  Medicine  and  Surgery ;  Chinese  Clothes ; 
Houses  and  Gardens ;  Chinese  Servants ;  Betrothal  and 
Marriage ;  Death  and  Burial ;  Mourning ;  Education  in 
China;  Boys  in  China;  Girls  and  Women;  Chinese  Manners; 
Government  in  China;  Punishments;  Chinese  Soldiers;  The 
Religions  of  China ;  Outside  and  Inside  a  Temple ;  New 
Year's  Day ;  Monks  and  Priests ;  Spirits ;  Feng  shiu  and 
other  Superstitions  ;  Missionaries  ;   as  the  Chinese  See  Us. 

The  reader  will  not  be  bored  with  politics  or  the  "  future 
of  China,"  for  the  book  only  treats  of  the  common  every-day 
things  of  the  Chinese  which  seem  so  peculiar  to  us.  These 
are  described  and,  when  possible,  explained.  Anecdotes  are 
freely  used  to  illustrate. 


LONDON:  T.    FISHER  UNWIN. 


In  Search   of  £1   Dorado: 

A  Wanderer's   Experiences. 

By  ALEXANDER  MACDONALD,  F.R.G.S. 

With  32  Illustrations.     Demy  Svo,  cloth,  10/6  net. 

READERS  with  a  taste  for  adventure  will  find  this  book  a 
storehouse  of  good  things,  for  in  the  course  of  various 
mineralogical  expeditions  the  author  has  roughed  it  in  many  remote 
quarters  of  the  globe,  and  a  large  share  of  strange  and  thrilling 
experiences  has  fallen  to  his  lot.  At  the  same  time  he  possesses 
a  literary  skill  with  which  few  travellers  are  gifted. 

The  episodes  in  his  career  which  the  book  relates  fall  under 
three  heads.  In  Part  I.,  "  The  Frozen  North,"  he  gives  some  vivid 
sketches  of  rough  and  tumble  life  in  the  Klondyke  region ;  Part  II., 
"Under  the  Southern  Cross,"  describes  his  adventures  while  pro- 
specting for  gold  in  Western  Australia ;  Part  III.,  "  Promiscuous 
Wanderings,"  tells  of  his  experiences  in  the  Queensland  Back 
Blocks,  in  the  Opal  Fields  of  New  South  Wales,  in  British  New 
Guinea,  in  the  Gum  Land  of  Wangeri,  New  Zealand,  and  with  the 
Pearlers  of  Western  Australia. 

"  It  was  with  a  secret  joy  that  we  sat  up  till  the  small  hours  of 
the  morning  to  finish  Mr.  Alexander  Macdonald's  new  book,  '  In 
Search  of  El  Dorado  :  A  Wanderer's  Experiences.'  The  author's 
wanderings  have  led  him  all  over  the  world,  digging  for  gold,  silver, 
opals,  and  gum.  The  wonderful  characters  are  vividly  drawn,  and 
his  two  companions,  Mac  and  Stewart,  are  men  one  would  like  to 
shake  hands  with.  .  .  .  We  can  conscientiously  say  that  we  have 
had  as  much  pleasure  from  this  book  as  from  the  half  dozen  best 
novels  of  the  year." — Bystander. 


LONDON:   T.    FISHER   UN  WIN. 


Demy  8vo,  doth,  10/6  net. 

The  Age  of  the  Earth,   and 
other  Geological  Studies 

By  W.  J.  SOLLAS,  LL.D.,  D.Sc,  F.R.S. 

Professor  of  Geology  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 

Illustrated. 

THIS  volume,  while  written  by  one  of  the  foremost  of 
English  geologists,  will  be  found  interesting  and  attractive 
by  the  reader  who  has  no  special  knowledge  of  the  science. 
The  essay  which  gives  the  book  its  title  sets  forth  the  bearing  of 
the  doctrine  of  evolution  on  geological  speculation,  and  par- 
ticularly on  the  vexed  question  of  our  planet's  antiquity.  The 
subjects  of  the  other  studies  include  the  following  :  The  Figure 
of  the  Earth,  and  the  Origin  of  the  Ocean  ;  Geologies  and 
Deluges  ;  the  Volcanoes  of  the  Lipari  Isles ;  the  History  and 
Structure  of  a  Coral  Reef  ;  the  Origin  and  Formation  of  Flints; 
the  Evolution  of  Freshwater  Animals ;  and  the  Influence  of 
Oxford  on  Geology. 


"  They  range  over  a  great  variety  of  subjects,  including  many  which  are 
of  sufficiently  wide  interest  to  bring  the  geologist  into  sympathetic  touch  with 
the  general  reader.  What  educated  man  can  fail  to  be  interested  in  such 
subjects,  for  instance,  as  the  age  of  the  earth,  the  building  of  coral  islands, 
the  cause  of  volcanic  action,  or  the  Deluge  ?  Of  all  these  matters  the 
Professor  discourses  pleasantly  and  well,  writing  with  command  of  much 
scientific  learning,  yet  always  readably,  sometimes  with  brilliancy  of  diction, 
and  occasionally  with  a  touch  of  humour." — Athenceum. 


LONDON  :  T.    FISHER   UNWIN. 


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Somerset  House,   Past   and 

Present 

By  RAYMOND  NEEDHAM  and 
ALEXANDER    WEBSTER. 

With  Photogravure  Frontispiece  and  many  Illustrations. 

THIS  book  deals  with  the  history  of  Somerset  House  from 
its  foundation  by  the  Lord  Protector  in  1547  to  the 
present  day.  It  is  as  far  as  possible  a  continuous  record  of  the 
events  which  in  times  gone  by  gathered  illustrious  personages 
within  the  walls  of  the  old  palace  and  made  it  a  centre  of 
English  social  life.  For  two  centuries  Somerset  House  was  the 
home  of  Queens  and  Princesses  ;  it  was  associated  with  the 
stalwart  Protestants  of  the  Reformation  and  the  intriguing 
Catholics  of  the  Revolution  ;  it  has  passed  through  greater 
vicissitudes  than  almost  any  other  secular  edifice  in  London. 
The  modern  building  housed  the  early  exhibitions  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Arts,  a  Naval  Museum,  the  Royal  and  other  learned 
Societies,  until,  within  the  last  fifty  years,  it  was  given  over  to 
its  present  occupants  and  the  matter-of-fact  romance  of  the 
Imperial  Revenue.  The  history  includes  the  story  of  King's 
College,  which  since  its  inauguration  has  occupied  a  building 
erected  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  site,  and  designed  to 
harmonise  with  the  main  structure.  The  volume  is  illustrated 
by  reproductions  of  rare  old  prints  and  a  fine  series  of  modern 
photographs. 


LONDON:-  T.    FISHER    UNWIN. 


Siberia : 

A  Record  of  Travel,    Climbing,  and   Exploration. 
By    SAMUEL    TURNER,    F.R.G.S. 

WITH   A   PREFACE  BY  BARON   HEYKING. 

With  more  than  ioo  Illustrations,  and  with  2  Maps. 
Demv  8vo,  cloth,  21/-  net. 

THE  materials  for  this  book  were  gathered  during  a  journey  in 
Siberia  in  1903.  Helped  by  over  100  merchants  (Siberian, 
Russian,  Danish  and  English)  the  writer  was  able  to  collect  much 
information,  and  observe  the  present  social  and  industrial  condition 
of  the  country.  The  trade  and  country  life  of  the  mixed  races  of 
Siberia  is  described,  and  valuable  information  is  given  about  their 
chief  industry  (dairy  produce),  which  goes  far  to  dissipate  the 
common  idea  that  Siberia  is  snow-bound,  and  to  show  that  it  is  now 
one  of  the  leading  agricultural  countries  in  the  world. 

The  author  describes  his  unaccompanied  climbs  in  the  mountains 
which  he  discovered  in  the  Kutunski  Belki  range  in  the  Altai,  about 
800  miles  off  the  Great  Siberian  Railway  line  from  a  point  about 
2,500  miles  beyond  Moscow.  He  made  a  winter  journey  of  1,600 
miles  on  sledge,  drosky,  and  horseback,  250  miles  of  this  journey 
being  through  country  which  has  never  been  penetrated  by  any 
other  European  even  in  summer.  He  also  describes  40  miles  of 
what  was  probably  the  most  difficult  winter  exploration  that  has 
ever  been  undertaken,  proving  that  even  the  rigour  of  a  Siberian 
winter  cannot  keep  a  true  mountaineer  from  scaling  unknown  peaks. 

The  volume  is  elaborately  illustrated  from  photographs  by  the 
author. 

"To  the  trader  and  to  the  explorer,  and  to  many  who  are  neither,  but  who 
love  to  read  books  of  travel  and  to  venture  in  imagination  into  wild  places  of  the 
earth,  this  book  is  heartily  to  be  commended.  It  is  lively,  entertaining,  in- 
structive. It  throws  fresh  light  on  the  Empire  of  the  Czars.  Above  all,  it  is  a 
record  of  British  pluck." — Scotsman. 


LONDON:   T.   FISHER   UNWIN. 


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COMPLETE  POPULAR  EDITIONS.     ILLUSTRATED. 
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Lord    Beacon sfield :    A    Biography. 

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"Clever  and  brilliant.  .   .  .  Worth  reading  by  everybody  who  either 
admires  or  hates  his  subject." — Guardian 

"  A  slashing  and  vastly  interesting  book." — Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

Rome   and   Pompeii.     Archaeological 

Rambles. 

By  Gaston  Boissier. 


Cl 


M.  Gaston  Boissier  is  one  of  the  few  living  archaeologists  who  can 
make  the  dead  bones  of  the  past  live  again.  While  his  researches  show 
the  accuracy  and  thoroughness  which  we  associate  with  German  scholar- 
ship, he  has  a  gift  of  exposition  which  is  wholly  French.  We  can 
imagine  therefore,  no  better  handbook  for  traveller  or  archaeologist  than 
this  one.  — Daily  Mail. 

Holyoake :    Sixty   Years   of  an   Agitator's 

Life. 

By  George  Jacob  Holyoake. 

"A  valuable  contribution  to  the  political,  social,  intellectual,  and  even 
revolutionary  history  of  our  time." — Times. 

' '  The  book  is  full  of  interest ;  it  produces  a  vivid,  personal  impression,  it 
contains  contemporary  notes  on  men  and  women  of  the  century,  it  has 
shrewd  and  vigorous  sentences,  and  illustrates  our  own  progress  in 
civilising  thought." — Spectator. 

Sir  Walter   Raleigh. 

By  Major  Martin  A.  S.  Hume. 

"An  admirable  book  which  ought  to  be  read  by  every  one  who  takes 
any  interest  in  things  that  ought  to  interest  all — the  building  of  the 
Empire  and  the  men  who  built  it.  There  is  not  a  dull  page  in  it,  and  with 
his  skilful  telling  of  it,  the  story  of  Raleigh's  life  and  of  his  times  reads 
like  a  romance." — Pall  Mall  Gazette. 


T.  FISHER   UNWIN,  Publisher, 
i  Adelphi  Terrace,  London,  W.C. 


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By  John  Morley. 

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English  language." — Daily  Chronicle. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Savonarola. 

By  Professor  Pasquale  Villari. 

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times.  It  is  difficult  to  speak  of  its  merits  without  seeming  exaggeration." 
— Spectator. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Machiavelli. 

By  Professor  Pasquale  Villari. 

"  Machiavelli  is  represented  for  all  time  in  the  pages  of  Villari." 
—  Guardian. 

The  Lives  of  Robert  and  Mary  Moffat. 

By  John  Smith  Moffat. 

"A  loving  record  of  a  noble  life,  whieh  has  left  the  world  a  lesson  for 
all  time  of  the  power  of  earnest  labour  and  simple  faith." — Daily  Chronicle. 

The  History  of  Florence. 

By  Professor  Pasquale  Villari. 

"This  volume  is  indeed  worthy  of  the  reputation  of  its  author.  .  .  .  We 
feel  very  grateful  to  him  for  having  given  us  the  most  concise,  and  at  the 
same  time  perhaps  the  most  complete  constitutional  history  that  has  yet 
appeared  of  the  first  two  centuries  of  the  Florentine  Republic." — Speaker. 

English    Wayfaring   Life   in    the 
Middle  Ages  (XlVth  Century). 

By  J.  J.  Jusserand,  French  Ambassador  at  Washington 

"One  of  those  enchanting  volumes  which  only  Frenchmen  have  the  gift 
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THE  STORY  OF  THE  NATIONS 

A  SERIES  OF  POPULAR  HISTORIES. 


Each  Volume  Is  furnished  with  Maps,  Illustrations,  and  Index.  Large  Crown 
8vo,  fancy  cloth,  gold  lettered,  or  Library  Edition,  dark  cloth,  burnished  red 
top,  5s.  each.— Or  may  be  had  in  half  Persian,  cloth  sides,  gilt  tops;  Price 
on  application. 


9- 

IO. 

II. 

12. 

13- 

i .;. 

IS- 

16. 

17- 

18. 
19. 
20. 

-j  1. 

23. 

23- 
14. 

as- 

26. 

27' 

2?. 
29. 

3<». 

31- 

32- 

33- 
34- 

35- 


Rome.    By  Arthur  Gilman,  M.A. 
The  Jews.    By  Prof.  J.  K.  Hosmer. 
Germany.      By   Rev.   S.    Baring- 
Gould,  M.A. 
Carthage.     By  Prof.  Alfred  J. 

Church. 
Alexander's    Empire.      By   Prof. 

J.  P.  Mahaffy. 
The  Moors  in  Spain.   BySTANLEV 

Lane-Poole. 
Ancient  Egypt.    By  Prof.  George 

Rawlinson. 
Hungary.       By    Prof.     Arminius 

Vambery. 
The  Saracens.     By  Arthur  Gil- 
man,  M.A. 
Ireland.      By    the    Hon.    Emily 

Lawless. 
Chaldea.  ByZ^NAi'DEA.  Ragozin. 
The  Goths.  Bv  Henry  Bradley. 
Assyria.  By  Zenaide  A.  Ragozin. 
Turkey.  By  Stanley  Lane-Poole. 
Holland.     By  Prof.  J.  E.  Thorold 

Rogers. 
Mediaeval  France.    By  Gustave 

Masson. 
Persia.    By  S.  G.  W.  Benjamin. 
Phoenicia.   By  Prof.  G.  Rawlinson. 
Media.     By  Zenaide  A.  Ragozin. 
The   Hansa  Towns.    By  Helen 

Zimmern. 
Early  Britain.     By  Prof.  Alfred 

J.  Church. 
The      Barbary      Corsairs.      By 

Stanley  Lane-Poole. 
Russia.    By  W.  R.  Morfill,  M.A. 
The  Jews  under  the  Romans.    By 

W.  D.  Morrison. 
Scotland.    By  John  Mackintosh, 

LL.D. 
Switzerland.     By  Mrs  Lina  Hug 

and  R.  Stead. 
Mexico.     By  Susan  Hale. 
Portugal.  By  H.  Morse  Stephens. 
The  Normans.    By  Sarah  Orne 

Jewett. 
The  Byzantine  Empire.     By  C 

W.  C.  Oman. 
Sicily :    Phoenician,    Greek    and 

Roman.     By  the  late  Prof.  E.  A. 

Freeman. 
The  Tuscan  Republics.   By  Bella 

Duffy. 
Poland.    By  W.  R.  Morfill,  M.A. 
Parthia.       By       Prof.       George 

Rawlinson. 
The  Australian  Commonwealth. 

By  Grevili.e  Tregarthen. 


36.  Spain.     By  H.  E.  Watts. 

37.  Japan.    By  David  Murray,  Ph.D. 

38.  South  Africa.      By    George    M. 

Theal. 

39.  Venice.  By  Alkthea  Wiel. 

40.  The  Crusades.    By  T.  A.  Archer 

and  C.  L.  Kingsford. 

41.  Vedic  India.    By  Z.  A.  Ragozin. 

42.  The  West  Indies  and  the  Span- 

ish Main      By  James  Rodway. 

43.  Bohemia.        Py       C.        Edmund 

Maurice. 

44.  The   Balkans.      By  W.   Millbk, 

M.A. 

45.  Canada.     By  Sir  J.  G.  Bourinot, 

LL.D. 

46.  British  India.    By  R.  W.  Frazer, 

LL.B. 

47.  Modern  France.     By  Andr£  Le 

Bon. 

48.  The  Franks.  By  Lewis  Sergeant. 

49.  Austria.     By  Sidney  Whitman. 

50.  Modern  England.     Before  the  Re- 

form Bill.   By  Justin  McCarthy. 

51.  China.     By  Prof.  R.  K.  Douglas. 

52.  Modern     England.       From     the 

Reform  Bill  to  the  Present  Time. 
By  Justin  McCarthy. 

53.  Modern  Spain.    By  Martin  A.  S. 

Hume. 

54.  Modern  Italy.    By  Pietro  Orsi. 

55.  Norway.     By  H.  H.  Boyesen. 

56.  Wales.     By  O.  M.  Edwards. 

57.  Mediaeval  Rome.    By  W.Miller, 

M.A. 

58.  The      Papal      Monarchy.        By 

William  Barry,  D.D. 

59.  Mediaeval   India  under  Moham- 

medan    Rule. 
Lane-Poole. 

60.  Buddhist  India. 

Rhys-Davids. 

61.  Parliamentary 

Edward  Jenks,  M.A. 

62.  Mediaeval    England.      By   Mary 

Bateson. 

63.  The  Coming  of  Parliament.     By 

L.  Cecil  Jane. 

64.  The  Story  of  Greece.     From  the 

Earliest   Times   to   a.d.    14.     By 
E.  S.  Shuckburgh. 
In  Preparation. 
The  Story  of  Greece.  From  the  Roman 
Occupation  to  a.d.  1453.     By  E.  S. 
Shuckburgh. 
The  Story  of  the  Roman  Empire  (b.c 
29  to   a.d.   476).     By   H.   Stuart 
Jones. 


By  Stanley 
By  Prof.  T.  W. 
England.        By 


T.  Fisher  Unwin,  Publishci,  i,  Adelphi  Terrace,  London,  W.C. 


(joJ-Wv 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


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